Northland Pines Boys Tripped up by Lakeland in GNC Soccer
Pines 1 Lakeland 2
Thanks to Northland Pines Head Coach Rodney Sternhagen for the game report below:
This is a game that you put on your shoulders as a coach. The boys were not ready to play soccer. The mental part of the game is as much a factor as the athletic part. Boys showing up late, boys walking through warm up translates to not being engaged at the start of the game. When you play a team of Lakelands caliber you cannot check out for one minute much less much of the first half. 1:41 into the first half lack of communication and marking defensively leaves a streaking forward wide open for a 1-0 and the lead before some of our team had their shoes tied. We will live and die with our inexperienced defenders 4 of the 5 are first time varsity defenders. A lack of communication caused our left back to clean up in the box. As he was about to clear it he collided with Lakeland forward falling face first over the ball the Lakeland forward picked it up and yet another 1 on zero inside the box we go down 2-0. Our bulldog of the game senior captain Anthony Gaetano tried to fire up our team and put them on his back. He won almost every 50/50 ball and one minute after the second Lakeland goal he stepped into a pass and dropped a bomb on net from left to right in the upper 90 over the keepers reach placing the goal from about 40 yards out. To put us back in the game. Half ends 1-2. I asked the boys what they noticed about Lakeland and senior stopper Nick BoxRucker says they pack it in. I smiled exactly so why don’t we play the ball out wide and attack the goal line forcing them wide. When we executed this we controlled the game and produced offense but our stubbornness and forcing the ball in the middle created offense for Lakeland. Hats off to senior goalie Ryder Will for making a number of acrobatic saves cleaning up a number of defensive errors. Unfortunately our final attack was 10 seconds to late as Jackson found a ball on his foot behind the defender in the 18. 1-2 final.
Shots Pines 10 Lakeland 22
Shots on frame Pines 2 Lakeland 12
Saves Ryder Will 10 Lakeland 1
Corners Pines 1 Lakeland 2
Fouls Pines 7 Lakeland 10
Yellow card 1 Pines 1 Lakeland
****************************************************************
2024-25 OnFocus Central Wisconsin Area Conferences: Conference and Team Links, Schedules
Know some top athletic performances? Seeing some great teams in action?
We can use your help, and it’s simple. Witness some great performances? Hear about top athletes and top teams in our area?
Athlete of the Week and Team of the Week:
Nominate an athlete or team: HERE
**********************************************
Pancakes or Waffles! We feature top area athletes with our world-renowned feature. Send us your nominations for who you’d like us to interview HERE
College Athlete Roundup! We want to recognize student-athletes from the area who are competing at the college level. Send us information on college athletes from the area with our simple form HERE
Where are they Now? We feature athletes and difference makers from the past, standouts in sports who excelled over the years and have moved on. Know of a former athlete, coach, or difference maker who we should feature? Know of a former standout competitor whose journey beyond central Wisconsin sports is one we should share? Send us information on athletes and difference makers of the past with our simple form HERE
Baked or Fried! We also feature difference makers throughout central Wisconsin: coaches, booster club leaders, administration, volunteers, you name it. Send us your nominations for who you’d like us to interview HERE
We welcome your stories! Contact us at [email protected]!
Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
