Raiders could benefit from varsity experience gained in 2019
MEDFORD GIRLS SOCCER PREVIEW
When the Medford Raiders lost 5-0 to Ashland in a WIAA Division 3 girls soccer sectional final on June 8, 2019, no one could have imagined that would be the last spring sports event a Raider team would compete in for nearly two years.
While some sports got back to competing last week, it’s soccer’s turn to get going this week and new head coach Tanya Tessmann said the Raiders are more than ready.
“These girls are hungry to play,” Tessmann said last Thursday before the high school team held a joint practice with the Medford Area Middle School team. “The’ve been off for two years and even the freshmen that were supposed to be playing in middle school didn’t play either last year. They’re all thankful to have a season and just to start playing. They’re hungry for it. That’s the best word I can think of.”
Medford got the season started in fine fashion Tuesday by beating host Antigo 10-0 in Great Northern Conference play. The home opener is tonight, Thursday, with Medford hosting Ashland at 6:30 p.m. in a rematch of that Elite Eight matchup in Eau Claire from 23 months ago.
“Historically, they’re usually the toughest opponent,” Tessmann said of the Oredockers, who opened Tuesday with a 4-1 win over Lakeland. “They beat the girls in sectionals two years ago. That makes it all that much more interesting going into it. They were undefeated in conference two years ago. They are always a tough opponent. Our first away game is Antigo so we’re hoping to get our feet wet against them and get an idea of how we jell together as a team and then be ready for Ashland.”
Tessmann and new JV coach Denice Poetzl both have put in many summers coaching in the Medford Youth Soccer Association, which gives them a nice level of familiarity with many of the 31 girls on the program roster. Tessmann, who held the JV position with the boys team in the fall, was slated to be the girls JV coach last spring under head coach Chris Reardon. Reardon stepped down last summer and has the rare distinction of never actually coaching a game in his year in the position.
“I just love the game,” Tessmann said. “I played when I was younger. I love being out there with girls who love playing the game.
“(Poetzl) has a lot of coaching experience not just with soccer, but also with wrestling and other sports that she’s coached at youth levels,” she added.
“I’m very thankful to have her. The girls have no one else better to learn from.
She can relate to them and explain it in ways that they need.”
As for the team itself, Medford is blessed to bring back a relatively experienced squad despite last year’s shutdown.
The varsity features six returning letter winners from the 2019 team that went 11-7-3 overall, 5-3-2 in the GNC and got hot at the right time, winning three Division 3 post-season matches before running into the Ashland buzzsaw. They are seniors Ellee Grunwald, Jasmine Wiitala and Olivia Felix and juniors Gabby Brunner, Caitlin Doyle and Lydia Pernsteiner. Juniors Autumn Krause and Kayla Szydel will step into larger roles after logging mainly JV minutes as freshmen. Grunwald and Brunner are the team’s co-captains.
“We are lucky two years ago that we had some freshmen and sophomores that actually played at the varsity level, so that hopefully gives us an advantage.” Tessmann said.
Wiitala will anchor Medford’s offensive line as the center, with Brunner and Krause flanking her on the wings. Grunwald, Felix and Pernsteiner give Medford possibly the GNC’s most experienced midfield crew. Szydel and freshman Sierra Tessmann should be able to fill in some minutes at any one of those positions.
Wiitala scored 11 goals as a sophomore, Brunner had six and Grunwald added five goals and five assists to rank among Medford’s top scorers.
Felix, Grunwald and Wiitala all got honorable mention in the GNC as freshmen in 2018.
In the midfield, Ellee has her cross country background and Lydia is a threesport athlete so we’re thinking those two can outlast anyone in a 90-minute game,” Tessmann said. “We’re looking to be strong there. Up front, Jasmine has a powerful leg and we’re looking at her to get as many balls in that net as she can. We’re looking at controlling the midfield, which I think that core group will. We’re looking at all of the players, not just the offense. Every player on that team has the ability to shoot and has the power. Obviously that front-line scoring will be big, but with our midfield everybody has that potential to score, which we’re excited to see.”
Scoring will be important but Medford’s question mark to start the year is its inexperience on the back end. Doyle is the only Raider specializing in defense that has varsity experience.
“If we had to choose anyone to come back and lead the defense, it would be her,” Tessmann said. “We’re starting good there. She’ll be joined by Kelsey Jascor, a junior, and then two freshmen, Nikki Poetzl and Sophia Yohnk. They’ve already started to jell really nice together. Caitlin is familiar with all of them and knows them well. They respect Caitlin and they’ll be looking at her to lead them.”
The battle for the goal keeping position has been won at the outset by freshman Sophia Brunner.
“She’s not afraid to get that ball, whether it’s jumping, diving,” Tessmann said. “She has hockey experience so I think that puts her at not being too afraid of most anything.”
With an already shorter season schedule and some programs not fielding enough girls to put together a JV team, there will be some challenges to getting the younger and inexperienced girls playing time this spring. Tessmann said the coaches will pull some JV players to the varsity at times and there’s always room for those who prove themselves capable of making the jump.
“We’ll see how that goes,” she said. “Given this year especially, you never know from day to day. You could have half the team out due to quarantine from close contact, then you’re looking at a new team.”
Getting the inexperienced players up to speed and acclimated to how the game is played at the high school level was one of coaches’ main goals with the 15 contact days they were allowed before the official start of practice on April 26. The captains have been organizing practices on their own since late winter. To say everyone is raring to go would be an understatement.
“You can tell getting to sectionals two years ago has helped,” Tessmann said. “Also I think the boys going to state got the excitement going and shed more light on the program and got more people excited and wanted to try it. Having the Medford community support the boys so much was exciting. They know about soccer now and we hope they continue to follow the girls just as much as they followed the boys.”
Medford’s Connor Lingen putts on the 15th green during Thursday’s Great Northern Conference meet hosted by Lakeland.BRETT LaBORE/THE LAKELAND TIMES
