So now we know. It is a two horse race for the Big Rivers Conference title. I have been waiting for Rice Lake to play a big game. Their early season record of 4-0 and a few good non-conference wins, along with their Top 10 appearance in the D3 Coaches poll made us believe they were a contender. I was really hoping the Hudson game was not postponed last week…..so I had to wait another week to get an answer. We now have it. Solid team, good program, they will be dangerous in the D3 State Tournament…..but they are not ready to challenge for a Big rivers Conference title.
Let’s are a quick look at the results so far this week in Big Rivers play.
Memorial 3 Rice Lake 0
Hudson 3 River Falls 1
Chippewa Falls 1 Menomonie 1
Game of the week. Memorial scored early and late and went on to a commanding 3-0 win at Rice Lake on Tuesday. Lui shi Xiong scored early. Garrett Woodford, very excited that he did, scored late. And in between there was a Luke Rosenberger goal. Jacob Peloquin continues some fine play with two assists. There were two ways to look at the game… First, Rice Lake made the final score competitive. They have played well all season and I expect they will make a pretty good run in the D3 tournament. The other way to look at the game…..it could have been a lot worse. A score line of 5-0, 6-0, 7-0 would not have been a surprise. Memorial was very offensive, just not quite efficient in the final third or clinical at finishing. A key stat….shots. Memorial had 20 shots on the night. Rice Lake had 1 shot recorded. That’s pretty efficient defense for memorial, shutting down any offensive threat and maintaining a ton of possession. It’s also a bit surprising. Rice Lake handled River Falls 2-1 earlier this year. Based on Memorial results, River Falls was the tougher game….just interesting. Could Rice Lake give Hudson trouble, somehow earn a draw or a win. Possible, but based on last nights results, Hudson should get the win. It’s pointing to a late season showdown at Memorial. Mark your calendars for Thursday October 10th.
Big Rivers Standings
- Hudson 4-0-1 13 Points
- Memorial 4-0-1 13 Points
- Rice Lake 4-1-0 12 Points
- River Falls 2-3-0 6 Points
- Menomonie 1-4-1 4 Points
- Chippewa Falls 0-3-2 2 Points
- North 0-4-1 1 Point
Games on Thursday: North @ River Falls, Hudson @ Chippewa Falls, Menomonie @ Memorial.
High School Coaches Poll
Marquette continues to hold the top spot in D1 again this week. Floowed by Verona, Arrowhead Madison East and Homestead. Madison West makes the biggest jump from Unranked to 6th. 7-10 is Middleton, Eau Claire Memorial. Sussex Hamilton and Oconomowoc.
Rice Lake holds onto #8 in D3 and New Richmond has the #9 spot in D2.
Eau Claire Memorial upcoming schedule: Friday September 27th vs. Middleton, ranked 7th in D1. Saturday October 5th….either Madison East, ranked 4th or Oshkosh West. We will learn a lot about Memorial after Friday. Can they hang with a top team out of the Madison arwa.
MLS Update
Minnesota United is currently holding onto the #3 spot in the Eastern Conference, with just a few games remaining in the regular season. Might have some playoff soccer to go check out this fall!
Premier League Goals: Match Week 6
I wanted to leave you a little treat! Here are all the goals from Match Week 6 of the Premier League. Enjoy!!