Raiders’ early energy overcome by Rhinelander’s late momentum

Some of their best offensive action of the season gave the Medford Raiders a pair of one-goal leads Tuesday, but another multi-goal flurry, which has been a recent trouble spot, bit the Raiders in the final 24 minutes in a 5-2 Parents’ Night loss to Rhinelander.

The Hodags scored four times in the home stretch as they seemingly gained more energy as the half progressed. The shots and passes that Medford prevented for much of the night opened up just enough and five different players put the ball in the net.

“They were in the right place at the right time at the end,” Medford head coach Tanya Tessmann said.

The Raiders’ dropped to 1-4-1 in the Great Northern Conference and 2-9-1 overall with Tuesday’s loss. Medford is 0-7-1 in its last eight games. The Hodags finished the first round of GNC play at 3-2-1 and will play in the upper bracket of the three-round, season-ending GNC tournament.

Medford opens lower-bracket play tonight, Thursday, with a 6 p.m. home game against Antigo. The Raiders will be at Mosinee June 3 to wrap up the conference season.

The Raiders came out energized and created several scoring opportunities in the first half.

“We’re working on making our runs, looking for those open lanes,” Tessmann said. “That was the best game that we’ve had offensively. The girls were pumped up. It was Parents’ Night.”

A flurry of offensive activity started with a shot on goal from Jasmine Wiitala at the 12-minute mark. At 13:55, Lydia Pernsteiner set up Gabby Brunner for a shot that Hodag Kahlie Arneson made a tough save on. Pernsteiner, who had an outstanding night making things happen in the midfield area, set up Wiitala for another shot at 16:35. Wiitala and Ellee Grunwald combined to set up for a Pernsteiner chance at 22:50 that was broken up by the Hodags at the last moment.

Pernsteiner’s push created a handball in the box at 28:35, giving the Raiders a penalty kick, which Wiitala converted by going low to the right. That 1-0 lead held into halftime.

“We were faster out there,” Tessmann said of the first half. “Between Ellee and Jas and Gabby, they had them beat. We just didn’t get the ball out there as much in the second half.”

Unfortunately, it didn’t take Rhinelander long to grab some momentum in the second half. Just 45 seconds in, Ella Schiek, who came into the game tied for the GNC lead with 10 goals in league play, got number 11 with a nifty crossover move and left-footed kick from straight out in front of the net.

Wiitala countered, beating Hodag Audrey Schiek to a loose ball, driving toward the net and firing a laser that beat Arneson and got inside the left post at 52:19. Pernsteiner created another chance by splitting two Hodag defenders and getting a one-on-one shot with Arneson at 64:30, but Arneson made the stop.

At 66:10, Ella Schiek put a shot on goal that Sophia Brunner saved, but Kat Metropulos was there for the rebound to tie the game and set the stage for Rhinelander’s late surge.

At 68:04, McKenna Brown was on the doorstep and scored off an Ella Schiek assist to put Rhinelander ahead. Ava Lamers lobbed a perfect shot over Brunner at 76:11 and bigtime pressure by the Hodags led to Gwyneth Lowry’s finishing goal at 81:52.

“The girls never give up,” Tessmann said. “They didn’t slow down. Jas had 10 shots on goal, Lydia had two shots. Ellee, Gabby and Sierra Tessmann each had a shot. The defense was strong led by Caitlin Doyle and Nikki Poetzl. Sophia Yohnk had a good game. She had some great goal kicks.”

Rhinelander won 3-1 in the JV game, which was shortened to 50 minutes after being delayed by a passing thunderstorm. Alexis Szydel had Medford’s goal on a penalty kick.

Rice Lake 8, Medford 0

Two scoring flurries sunk the Raiders Saturday in an 8-0 non-conference loss at Rice Lake, annually one of the top teams in the area’s Division 3 sectional.

Medford kept the Warriors (4-4-3) off the scoreboard for nearly 22 minutes, highlighted by a big defensive save from Poetzl, but three goals in a three-minute span starting at the 24-minute mark, put the Raiders in a hole they weren’t able to dig out of.

“We looked good in the first half,” Tessmann said. “We were setting up our passes and our plays like we wanted to.”

The Warriors broke things wide open when Lina Morillo scored three times in a three-minute span early in the second half. She got a one-on-one opportunity and beat Brunner at 51:10. She scored again at 52:19 and 53:55 to make it 6-0. Rice Lake added goals at 60:05 and right as time expired at 90 minutes off a corner kick.

Medford got shots on goal from Pernsteiner and Wiitala. Wiitala had a good corner kick that Rice Lake goaltender Madison Marshall plucked out of the air before the Raiders could punch it in.

Rice Lake had 37 shots. Brunner had more than 20 saves.

Pines 2, Medford 1

After early offense by both teams, the defenses settled in Thursday with a direct kick proving the difference in a 2-1 win for host Northland Pines.

The second-half direct kick broke the 1-1 tie and assured the Raiders of a bottom-half finish in the conference and a spot in the lower bracket of the GNC’s end-of-season schedule.

It was, however, a solid effort, according to Tessmann.

“We played a good game,” Tessmann said. “Luck just was not on our side with calls and shots. Some of those things are going to your way and some aren’t. Luck was just not on our side.”

The Eagles got on the board early, jumping ahead in the eighth minute on a shot that goal keeper Sophia Brunner got her finger tips on, but she didn’t get enough of it to tip it over the crossbar.

Medford came back in the 14th minute, getting a Wiitala goal off an Autumn Krause assist. It stayed 1-1 until the game-winning kick found its target in the upper right corner of the net just after halftime.

Brunner had 11 saves in the loss.

“Maddie Eckert had a great defensive save in the first half to keep the score tied,” Tessmann said. “It was nice to have Caitlin Doyle back. She had missed the last five games and looked fast. With Caitlin back we were able to move Autumn up and she was able to get a shot on goal. Ellee Grunwald had three shots on goal and was so close on one. Gabby Brunner had a couple of shots also. She’s one who always goes for the ball and is not afraid to use her body to trap the ball.”

Pines won the JV game 7-1 with Alexis Szydel scoring Medford’s goal.

Medford’s Lydia Pernsteiner bounces the soccer ball off her knee, gets it under control and starts an offensive attack during the first half of Tuesday’s loss to Rhinelander.MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS