MEDFORD GIRLS SOCCER - Loss at Pines costly in GNC race; Raiders get key win over Waupaca

MEDFORD GIRLS SOCCER

WhiletheirheadcoachTanyaTessmann is a big proponent of a one-game-at-atime approach, the Medford Raiders also knew their best route to a Great Northern Conference championship was to win out in the second round of league play and get a little help along the way.

Unfortunately for the Raiders, round two didn’t get off to the start they needed in a 1-0 loss Tuesday at Northland Pines.

The Eagles got their goal quickly, just 5:44 in, and the Raiders weren’t able to answer and fell to 2-2-2 in the GNC. The win boosted Pines to 3-2-1. The two teams are now tied for third place with 10 points each, three behind Rhinelander and eight behind Lakeland, who is firmly in control of the title chase at 6-0.

The rain held off in Eagle River Tuesday, but the grass field was wet and slippery, causing some footing issues for both teams, Tessmann said. Still, the conditions were better than when the teams first met April 16 in Medford when very high winds, early rain and a 90-minute lightning delay made it hard for either team to do much offensively in a 0-0 tie that ended with the Raiders winning a penalty-kick shootout.

Northland Pines outshot Medford 14-6, though the Eagles didn’t put many of those shots on goal as Raider keeper Sophia Brunner had just three saves. Sierra Tessmann had three of Medford’s shots and Madison Clarkson, Megan Schaefer and Alexis Szydel each had one.

The goal came off a crossing pass. Coach Tessmann said the Raiders left two Eagles unmarked and one got off a 25-yard shot that just snuck inside the right post midway up.

“It was early, we said we still have plenty of chances, but we just couldn’t answer,” Tessmann said.

Medford had one good push before the Eagle goal in the game’s second minute. Tessmann passed to Mallory Richter on a run up the right side, then Clarkson and Richter went back and forth to get the ball close, but the Eagles broke up the run before a good shot presented itself.

In the 36th minute, Pines got a head shot off a corner kick that Nikki Poetzl made the save on with her own header. In the 66th minute, Shayla Radlinger set up Tessmann with a shot she took at full speed. It sailed just above the crossbar.

Pines had a good look in the 76th minute that deflected off the right corner.

“Talyn Peterson had a strong game with several intercepts and she stayed on her feet, despite getting pushed around quite a bit,” Tanya Tessmann said. “Makenna Tlusty got pushed a lot too but kept getting right back at it.”

A spirited rematch with Rhinelander is expected tonight, Thursday, at 7 p.m. at Raider Field. The Hodags come in at 4-1-1 in league play and 8-1-2 overall. A 0-0 tie with Medford on April 18 ended with the Raiders taking the shootout, a result that was historic for Medford in avoiding a loss to the Hodags for the first time and one that likely didn’t sit well with Rhinelander.

Youth/Community Night

On Monday, Medford will host its final home game of the regular season with GNC rival Mosinee here for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

Monday’s matchup has been designated as both Medford’s Youth Night and Community Care Night with fundraising taking place to benefit the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. May 19 is World Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) day and Tanya Tessmann said a Medford player is personally affected, which made this cause something the team wanted to get behind and create some awareness.

Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are two of the most common types of IBD and are commonly diagnosed at young ages between 15-35. While most symptoms are gut-related other effects of these diseases can include joint pain, anemia, growth delays, low bone mass. Colon and rectal cancers can be long-term risks.

There are no cures but the diseases are highly treatable.

“It’s something not a lot of people talk about, but it affects a lot of people,” coach Tessmann said.

Medford’s grade 6-8 teams will be recognized as well Monday night. They host John Muir Middle School in games at 4 and 5:15 p.m. at the Medford Area Elementary School field.

Barron Co-op 1, Medford 0

A couple of good scoring chances went unfulfilled, particularly early, and Medford paid for not being able to clear the ball on one occasion midway through the second half Friday in a 1-0 loss to the host Barron Co-op.

Tinlee Jeffrey scored the game’s only goal with Tabby Thompson getting credit for the assist in the 62nd minute as the Bears improved to 9-2-3 with the non-conference win. The goal followed a Medford foul that resulted in an indirect kick from just outside the penalty box area.

“We just failed to keep it out of the box,” Tanya Tessmann said.

Medford started fast, getting a shot for Radlinger off a Sierra Tessmann pass just 1:20 in, but the kick went just wide to the left. In the 13th minute, Tlusty held a ball in Barron’s half of the field, then Tessmann and Radlinger worked the ball to Bayley Metz for a good shot from just outside the box that didn’t quite connect.

But as the game progressed, Tanya Tessmann said it felt like the Raiders’ pace slowed in just their second game of the season on grass and their second game in two days.

Defensively, Medford made some nice plays to keep Barron from scoring any more goals. Brunner made a nice save on a Barron header 4:15 in, first deflecting it before being able to smother it. Tessmann broke up a try off a corner kick at the seven-minute mark and Brunner tipped a shot over the crossbar at 26 minutes and grabbed a corner kick just before halftime. Medford had one good chance after Barron took the lead. That came at 67:45 when Tessmann took a free kick from just outside the box and Schaefer just missed getting her head on it for a potential redirect.

Medford fell 4-0 in Friday’s JV game.

Medford 2, Waupaca 0

On a drizzly Thursday night in Medford, Szydel scored right off the bat and Sierra Tessmann banged home an insurance goal midway through the second half in a 2-0 win over Waupaca. The win marked the Raiders’ eighth shutout of an opponent this season.

The non-conference win was a big one as it improved Medford’s record to 5-11 against teams in its half of the WIAA Division 3 sectional. The Comets fell to 2-3-2 at the time.

Seeding is scheduled to be completed May 19.

“That was a big game,” coach Tessmann said. “Last year we lost to Waupaca and Amherst and that hurt our seeding. Now we’ve won the head-to-head with Shawano, Waupaca, Amherst, Mosinee and Antigo and we still have Mosinee and Antigo coming up again.

“We knew this one was going to be tight just with the games they had already played with Rhinelander (2-0 loss) and Mosinee (3-0 win),” she added. “That gave us a little bit of idea, and just the games we’ve had with them in past years.”

While the heavy rain of the day had passed long before the 6 p.m. game time, persistent drizzle kept the turf wet and slick and meant the soccer balls were skidding quickly across the surface and made passing somewhat challenging.

Waupaca outshot the Raiders 19-11 and put 10 shots on goal, but Brunner and the defense held yet again.

“They definitely had more shots than we did in the second half,” Tanya Tessmann said. “Brunner had a great game, calling and talking to the girls back there and going right to the corner kicks and estimating. There were some scary moments.”

The opening goal followed a throw-in from the right sideline by Poetzl. Mallory Richter carried the ball into corner, where it got deflected out to Clarkson. She centered the ball to Szydel, whose shot actually bounced off a Waupaca defender, giving goalie Sophia Saunders no chance to stop it.

Szydel had another good look nine minutes in but her shot from 10 yards out went just over the crossbar. Tlusty put a hard shot right on Saunders at 19:30.

Waupaca’s first good chance came at 22:35 when Ava Kneer put a hard shot on Brunner from 20 yards. Brunner stopped it but the ball bounced off of her and would have crossed the goal line had it not been for her diving save. At 26:40 Kneer booted a shot that hit the crossbar and bounced out of bounds. Sierra Tessmann hit the crossbar from close range at 31:25.

“It was nice to score first,” Tanya Tessmann said. “We didn’t let up. We talked at halftime that we still had to come out strong and hold and that we wanted a little cushion.”

That cushion came when Clarkson intercepted an attempted clear out by the Comets. Her shot deflected off a Comet, but the Raiders kept the pressure on and eventually Radlinger dropped a pass back to Tessmann, who kicked a line drive inside the left post.

Medford’s defense was strengthened by Chloe Kapitz’s return from injury. The Raiders were able to do a fair amount of substituting in the second half, which coach Tessmann felt was key with a road game scheduled for the next night.

“We’re still working on going to the ball a little more,” Tessmann said. “But for the most part the girls seemed pretty composed. We were able to play with our whole team, they got the experience in there and got some more touches.”

Tessmann had four shots, including two on goal. Szydel had three shots and Riley Clark had two shots on goal in the later stages, including one on goal.