Raiders get the fortunate bounce this time in 1-0 win

MEDFORD BOYS SOCCER

Two days after a bounce that went against Medford was the difference in a 1-0 loss at Rhinelander, the Raiders benefited from a break Thursday using an own goal to defeat Northland Pines 1-0 in the home opener at Raider Field.

The goal came early, just 8:42 in, and the combination of ball control on offense and good defensive pressure whenever the Eagles advanced the ball into Medford’s end allowed that goal to stand as the difference in the game.

The win evened Medford’s Great Northern Conference record at 1-1 and improved its early overall mark to 2-1.

“We played well,” Medford head coach Adam Derr said after the win. “Before the Rhinelander game we focused a lot on defense. After the Rhinelander game, with the one practice we had, we worked a lot on offensive positioning and better movement. We showed that today. But we also wanted to keep up the pressure defense. I kept telling them, if we pressure them they’re going to make mistakes and that’s what happened. We put some pressure on them and got them to kick the ball in their own goal.

“We controlled the game,” he added. “We had a lot of offense, we had the ball in our half for the majority of the game.”

The goal happened as Medford transitioned from defense to offense, bringing the ball up the left sideline. An attempted centering pass went a bit too far ahead of the intended target, but Pines’ defender, while simply trying to boot it out of bounds and clear it, unluckily found the upper left corner of the net, far out of the reach of goalie Mylo Albrecht.

While the game didn’t feature a ton of great scoring chances for either team, several of the chances that did present themselves came late.

Albrecht was there to catch a 30-yard bullet kicked by Raider Adyn Gripentrog that might’ve gotten inside the right post at the 68:40 mark. Just 20 seconds later while attacking from the left sideline, Dayne Jacobson juked past a defender and then sent a perfect centering pass that Ethan Emmerich headed off the crossbar.

“Half an inch down, that goes in,” Derr said. “It was a gorgeous play.”

Pines was able to flip the field for a stretch and had a well-placed corner kick that Medford goal keeper Cale Schulz was able to knock away with one hand at 72:10. With just over a minute left in the game, at 78:50, Eagle Zach Ritter centered to AJ Muench for a header that rolled just wide of the left post.

The Raiders pushed the ball to the other end of the field for the final minute, getting a hard shot on goal by Grant Neubauer with 20 seconds left.

“They’re getting more comfortable with each other,” Derr said of his squad, which started the season with little varsity experience. “You could hear it out here tonight with a little more talking. I think they’re getting more used to my coaching style. I’m getting used to the way they’re playing.”

Derr felt the team responded well to one on-field change he made before the game.

“We made a little bit of a switch tactically and played Aidan Ball a little bit more as a central defensive midfielder,” Derr said. “That really freed Mike (Meyer) up to just motor around the field and do what Mike does. Aidan does such a great job of being in position and distributing the ball to everybody.”

Medford earned its first shutout of the new season, which Derr said, is a credit to everybody.

“Cale was at the right places at the right time,” Derr said. “Again, Alex (Gonzalez) and Spencer (Rau) in the middle are doing their jobs. I don’t think Pines had a lot of real good chances. They had one corner and the one header late in the game. But as far as shots, we’re putting pressure on them and keeping Cale protected. Everybody played great.”

Medford is back on the home field tonight, Thursday, hosting the Antigo Red Robins in GNC play at 7 p.m. Medford has a non-conference game at Waupaca Saturday at 7 p.m. that could have some meaning when it comes to sectional seeding in October. Two key GNC games follow at Lakeland Tuesday and at home against Mosinee on Sept. 14. Those games also kick off at 7 p.m.