Pines packs it in defensively, springs a 1-0 upset on Raiders

MEDFORD BOYS SOCCER

The plan for Medford’s boys soccer team a week after clinching the outright Great Northern Conference championship was to use the time off to get some rest, refresh and finish the regular season with some momentum in Thursday’s finale at Raider Field.

The Northland Pines Eagles threw a wrench into those plans.

Things went perfectly for the visitors, who came in just 2-11-3 overall. They got an early goal just 1:58 in from Ryan Muench and then turned to their pack-itin, defensive style of play, got some big saves from goal keeper Eric Nagel and got a couple of quality Medford opportunities to just plain miss the net in a stunning 1-0 upset.

The loss was only the second of the year for Medford, who finished the regular season 11-2-3 and are hoping this was just a minor speed bump as they head into the WIAA Division 3 tournament as the number-one seed in their half of the sectional bracket.

Post-season play begins tonight, Thursday, when Medford hosts eighthseeded Antigo at 7 p.m. in a regional semifinal. The Red Robins started tournament play Tuesday by winning a penalty kick shootout with ninth-seeded Merrill 3-1 after the teams played to a 1-1 double-overtime tie.

“I think this is more of a learning experience,” Medford head coach Nathan Bilodeau said. “Luckily conference wasn’t on the line. We’re not in the tournament yet. If you’re going to lose, do it now and then turn it into a positive. I think that’s the message tonight. Just learn from it and take it into the playoffs.”

Muench’s goal come off the second of two Pines corner kicks right off the bat and was one of only a couple of shots the Eagles had all night.

As the Raiders found in the first matchup, a 3-2 win back on Sept. 27, this year’s Eagles may not be as offensively skilled as they’ve been in past years, so they rely on keeping opponents from scoring and pouncing on an offensive chance when it presents itself.

Medford clearly dominated possession of the soccer ball and had some good chances, especially in the first half, but couldn’t capitalize. In the second half, it seemed the more Medford pushed things on offense, the Eagles became more motivated on defense, gaining confidence with every opportunity they denied.

“Frustrating is the word,” Bilodeau said. “We had five or six scoring chances in the first half that we just couldn’t put away that were easy. They were easy. We just needed to take a half-second of composure that would’ve gone a long way. Unfortunately, we didn’t score goals. It was a game that we clearly dominated, we clearly were the better team, but at the end of the day the scoresheet tells who wins the game and we didn’t win the game.”

Nagel’s most impressive save of the first half came at the 34-minute mark when Aaron Schield sent a perfect rightto- left cross to Zach Rudolph, who onetouched a point-blank, one-hop shot that Nagel somehow kick-saved with his left foot.

Medford’s increased pressure in the latter stages of the second half resulted in several corner kicks that Pines continually cleaned up. With 2:30 left in the game, Nagel made a big play, diving to knock the ball off the foot of Vincent Seidel, who was just about to unleash a shot after collecting the deflection off a Schield free kick.

“The first half we played our game,” Bilodeau said. “We dominated and we looked great. At halftime we said we’re not going to change, just keep doing what you’re doing. You take enough shots and some will go in. We didn’t change. They gave us all the time in the world. We possessed well. We did what we did. But we couldn’t find the back of the net.”

Medford finished 9-1 in GNC play with two of the wins coming on penalty-kick shootouts after ties. Pines went 4-6 and jumped over Mosinee by one point in the standings. The Eagles split two penaltykick shootouts during the year.

Tonight, Medford will face a GNC foe it had no trouble with in the regular season. The Raiders beat the Robins 9-0 on their field on Sept. 13 and pummeled them 13-0 two weeks ago at Raider Field.

Tonight’s winner moves on to the regional final on Saturday. If Medford wins, it will host that game, most likely at 7 p.m., against either fifth-seeded Mosinee, who Medford beat by 1-0 scores twice this season, or fourth-seeded Waupaca. Those teams play tonight in Waupaca and tied 1-1 early in the season.

If Medford wins the regional championship, it would host the sectional semifinal on Oct. 27 at 7 p.m.