Soccer's conference title hopes fade

By Dan Larson, Sauk Prairie Eagle

The Sauk Prairie boys' soccer team didn't win a game at the Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln Tournament on Oct. 4.

But they didn't lose one either.

The Eagles battled to a pair of ties — 2-2 in their opening contest against Stevens Point and 1-1 in their second game against D.C. Everest — to move to 16-3-2 on the season.

Eric Huerth gathered the rebound off of a Nathan Einhorn free kick and put it in the net to put Sauk Prairie ahead in the 22nd minute against Stevens Point. But Stevens Point responded about five minutes later to tie it.

Tyler Fuchs battled to put the Eagles ahead in the 70th minute, working hard to gain control of a ball that was bounced around the box after a corner kick before getting it through six or seven defenders to make it 2-1.

But Stevens Point scored on a penalty kick with about two minutes left in the contest after goalie Michael Grunewald was called for pushing in the box.

D.C. Everest took a 1-0 halftime lead in the Eagles' second game, but Tyler Fuchs scored his team-leading 20th goal early in the second half to tie the contest at 1. Neither team scored after that.

Stevens Point beat Merril in both teams' second game, and won the six-team pool.

To Tyler Fuchs and his Sauk Prairie teammates, it didn't matter who the opponent was Oct. 2.

No, all that mattered was that there was an opponent.

"We were just glad that we could get back out two days later, after that loss, and just come back and play the game," said Fuchs, referring to the Eagles' opportunity to get the taste of a 3-0 loss to conference-rival Waunakee earlier in the week out of their mouth.

And it was Fuchs who provided the mouthwash, redirecting a corner-kick from Eric Huerth to the lower-right corner of the net in the ninth minute for what turned out to be the game-winning goal in Sauk Prairie's 2-0 win over Lodi at Sauk Prairie High School.

"If we would have had to wait, it would have been worse because we would have been thinking about that game longer, (but) here, it eases the pain a little bit because we've got a game we just won," he added.

But despite getting started early, the Eagles stalled. They controlled the tempo, but just weren't able to finish around the net en route to a 1-0 halftime lead.

A problem Mike Rauls attributed equally to poor offensive spacing — "We've got to get that ball wide early and spread it out, and then attack more decisively," he said — and a lack of energy — "We didn't seem to have the energy that we need to bring to every game, whether you play Waunakee, whether you play in the sectional final or whether you play your next-door neighbor in the backyard."

Lodi (8-6-3) coach Vince Padilla, on the other hand, said that he felt his team played well enough in the first half to give itself a chance to win in the second half.

"We came with a pretty good game-plan and we executed it pretty well," he said. "The goal that they got — they definitely earned it — but we felt we could have gotten to it, so we were actually thinking it could have been 0-0 at halftime."

But it wasn't. And not long into the second half, Garrett Schwarz added to the lead. Garet Sagami —set up deep in the left-hand corner of the box — delivered a pass to Schwarz at the top of the box, and Schwarz promptly sent the ball between goalie Jason Scott and the right post to make it 2-0 in the 45th minute.

"It's got to be that vision before hand," Rauls said. "You can tell (Sagami) was doing his homework — his visual work — ahead of time where it's not catch the ball and then find (the pass), but the ball comes in and it's one touch back. ... That was some nice passing."

Added Padilla: "That second (goal) was a beautiful goal; they did a super job manufacturing it. We had the defense shaped exactly the way we wanted it and they were able to beat it anyway."

And the defense did the rest, holding Lodi scoreless over the final 34 minutes for the team's 10th shutout of the season.

But Rauls knows how his team continues to respond after losing to Waunakee — and how it responds to scoring two goals in its last two games after averaging 4.5 goals-per-game in its previous 17 contests — will go a long way in how it finishes the year.

"Hopefully we can pull it together to where we're really peaking at the end (of the season)," he said.

Lodi	0	0	—	0
Sauk Prairie	1	1	—	2

Sauk Prairie

Garrett Schwarz (Garet Sagami), 45:50

Saves

Lodi — Scott, 10

Sauk Prairie — Michael Grunewald, 4

WAUNAKEE — Sauk Prairie waited a year for its chance at redemption — the chance to avenge its only Northern Badger Conference loss a year ago.

In a period of a little less than six minutes in the second half, Waunakee made sure the wait would last another year.

"We've been looking forward to this for who knows how long, and it's just disappointing," senior midfielder Garrett Schwarz said after the Warriors handed the Eagles a 3-0 defeat — the first two goals coming in the 48th and 53rd minute — Sept. 30 at Waunakee High School.

Mike Rauls, whose team dropped a 2-0 decision to Waunakee (8-5, 4-0 Badger North) a year ago en route to a runner-up conference finish, agreed.

"When you have that emotional investment, it's a tremendous letdown," he said. "It wasn't our day today."

No, it wasn't. But early on it seemed as though it might be as Sauk Prairie (15-3, 4-1) dodged a bullet in battling to a scoreless first-half tie after letting Waunakee control the tempo for much of the half.

"They came out with more energy than we did in the first half and we looked to be on our heels," Schwarz said. "We were pretty fortunate to be tied at halftime."

Mark Clemens made sure Sauk Prairie's good fortune didn't last. The senior forward got the ball on the left wing in the 48th minute and beat a pair of Eagle defenders before beating goalkeeper Michael Grunewald with a kick to the lower-left corner of the net to make it 1-0.

Tyler Fuchs nearly tied it four-and-a-half minutes later when he found some space at the top of the box and got off a left-footed shot on goal. But it sailed into the waiting arms of goalkeeper Corry Hinz, who promptly sent the Warriors back on offense.

And Nicholas Kliminski capitalized just under 30 seconds later with a goal to the upper-right corner of the net from the top of the box to make it 2-0 and firmly entrench Waunakee in control of the game.

"That was huge," Waunakee coach Domenick Genova said. "A 2-0 lead — that's a big lead. We can make adjustments and put more guys on defense to try and hold that lead."

And they did hold it, even adding to it at the 77-minute mark when Jeff Tagarelli found the upper-left corner of the net on a ball that was deflected around the box before he controlled it to punctuate a win for the Warriors that will likely determine the conference champion.

Waunakee can clinch its second straight Badger North title with wins over Baraboo (Oct. 7) and DeForest (Oct. 14).

Sauk Prairie must win its final conference game against Baraboo on Oct. 14 and hope the Warriors falter for a chance at the conference title.

A situation Rauls doesn't see happening.

"I don't see Waunakee stumbling," he said. "That was a strong team we faced today."

Sauk Prairie	0	0	—	0
Waunakee	0	3	—	3

Saves

Sauk Prairie — Michael Grunewald, 6

Waunakee — Hinz, 3