Northland Pines Open Season with Convincing Win over Northland Lutheran
We have personnel in new spots a brand new keeper and coming of the previous season struggling to score the goal. The boys have been working hard and they goal was possession and putting the ball on the net. Our back 5 including our keeper are brand new and the main challenge as we go through the season is composure and not forcing things. 12 minutes in the game Sophomore Iland Shepardson won a ball near our defensive goal line made a turn picked up his head and found senior midfielder Anthony Gaetano who turned and one touched the ball to target forward who made a perfectly weighted ball to overlapping senior Cody Vojta who exploded behind their sweeper and put in a left footed goals. This woke up Northland Lutheran who responded 10 minutes later with a floating ball on the frame sliding through senior goalie Ryder Will’s fingertips. This is a positioning thing and as Ryder gets more reps these will be easy balls for him.
7 minutes later Senior Forward AJ Muench hooked up with senior midfielder Cody Vojta who passed the ball in the back of the net. From there the Pines boys did not look back, and one minute later Junior Gulherme Amiriz Fonseca played a beautiful slotted ball to AJ Muench beating the keeper and taking a 3-1 lead into the half. Early in the second half Senior Anthony Gaetano played patient and a cleared ball found him taking a touch and drilling the ball from about 25 yards out. 5 minutes later Gulheme scored his second goal and this gave us the opportunity to empty the bench and get our younger guys some much-needed playing time. Northland Lutheran took advantage of our inexperience and pounced on the opportunity. When lack of communication and ball chasing allowed their midfielder to find their forwards beating our keeper to make it a 5-2 game. 3 minutes later we responded when Freshman defender Ben Jastrow dribbled the ball up the right flank forcing the defender to step on him and he lofted the ball over his head onto the foot of sophomore Easton Otto who found the far corner making it 6-2.
Into the 71st minute, Anthony Gaetano swung a shot from 20 years into the upper corner for a 7-2 lead. This is where we wanted the boys to possess and work on off-the-ball movement and working as a unit. Northland Lutherd pressed on a booted ball and our midfielder and defender were trapped with the ball near our defensive corner a bit of lack of composure played a high-pressure pass to our rookie keeper forcing him to attempt to clear it which went right up the middle to the foot of an attacking forward 12 yards out booting it in the back to the net. That is how the game would end. It is a positive start especially that we were able to find the back of the net often. Now we need to clean up the back end and communicate more and we will continue to improve as a team. I like what I saw for the first game, especially with a large amount of these players getting their first high school playing time and varsity time.
****************************************************************
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]
