Two Wins And State Recognition For Raiders
Playing five games in six days, the Raiders were able to showcase their determination and ability to persevere while improving their record to 8-2-1. Winning games against strong opponents was noticed by the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association, and the Raiders received Honorable Mention in state rankings.
In the first game of the week, the Raiders traveled to McFarland. The game got off to a great start when two minutes into the game senior Taylor Legler found the net off a corner kick. Later in the first half, sophomore Aimee Sies scored on a well-placed free kick. Senior Vanessa Narveson scored the final goal of the night when she headed the ball into the net off an assist from Brooke Larson. The defense, including goalies Madeline Bartels and Rachael Heittola, gave a stellar performance and secured the shut-out. Final: Raiders 3, McFarland 0. In JV action, the Raiders won 7-0.
In the second game of the week the Raiders hosted a conference match against Columbus. The Columbus strategy of keeping all their players on defense to prevent the Raiders from scoring created a game played in front of the Columbus goal. Watching 20 players crowded into less than a quarter of the field was a strange sight. Despite continuous shots on goal for the Raiders, there were too many bodies in front of the net to make scoring easy. It was not until the 73rd minute when Brooke Larson scored that Raider fans could breathe a sigh of relief. The defense secured their sixth shutout of the season. Final: Raiders 1, Columbus 0. In JV action, the Raiders won 8-0.
The final event of the week was a JV versus Varsity scrimmage. Great to see so many Raiders on one field!
Next week on Friday, April 29, the Raiders will be hosting Mount Horeb in Belleville. The JV game begins at 5:00 p.m., with the Varsity game to follow at 7:00 p.m.