#1 Memorial Rolls Over #8 North, 7-0
I guess it’s what you expect in an 8 vs. 1 match up. The underdog hopes to keep it close, steal a goal and hang on….but it was not meant to be for North. Memorial was dominant. The scoring started early….actually a bit too early for me….I thought the game started at 4:30. Whoooops, a 4:00 start and two goals in the first 20 minutes meant I missed them both. Sorry Luke….8 goals in the past few games and you are really rolling. But I did watch the rest of the game.
Memorial dominated possession, had a ton of shots, allowed maybe 1 shot on goal, and did not let North in their half except for a few dribbles here and there. It was the third match up between the two teams and I think Memorial has stepped it up a bit in each game. North just had no answers for the Memorial attack and just not enough offense to test the Memorial defenders. Possession–shot–save–clearance–steal and repeat was the flow of the game. Sprinkle in 3 goals in the first half and 4 goals in the second and you have Memorial advancing to the next round.
The real story of the game were the conditions. Not ideal for soccer. Cold, wet, and very windy. Tough on fans and anyone not playing. For Memorial, once they got to 4, it was time to rest a few players and get ready for Round 2. A few takeaways from the game.
–Rosenberger is starting to take over….and that’s a good thing. Something like 7-8 goals in the past 3 games. A hat trick at Rice Lake and just a little different attitude it feels like. That’s what you want from your Senior Captains!
–The bench is getting shorter which is normal in playoff time. Key players will get the minutes and as the team goes deeper, I think that continues.
–Goals are coming from multiple players. Tonight there were 6 different goal scorers. A balanced attack is a good thing.
–The defense looks solid. The midfield is stepping aggressively and winning balls. If an attacker loses possession, they quickly press and work to regain. It looks hard to play against. The competition will get better, but Memorial looks ready for any challenge.
Let’s take a look at some highlights.
I missed a few good goals from Rosenberger and Xiong, but did catch this corner kick goal for Mason Sherman. He has tallied a few lately and is becoming a threat on the outside to compliment the starting group.
As fate would have it, my fingers were too cold to press play on a goal from Gyorfi…sorry Matt. As well, I flubbed a goal from Peloqin….sorry Jacob. But I seemd to not mess up when I was filming Sherman. Here was another dangerous ball from the right side. Just a bit outside! GK was beat.
I suppose practice makes perfect. Sherman gets another shot at it after a nice pass beats the defense. Mason one times a drive across goal and hits the net this time. A double for Mason!
Last goal on the night and it was deserving. A little touch into space, a spurt to get to the ball….a hot shot that’s just hot enough the GK can’t handle it….maybe a little fortunate deflection, but hey, the ball settled into the net. Nice work Joey Moua, exciting to see the Freshman tally a goal in the playoffs.
Regional Finals in Sectional 1
So we are now set for the Regional Finals on Saturday. Only one upset so far in Sectional 1, with #6 seed Appleton West advancing. Other games of notes: Steven Point 1-0 winner over DC Everest. Wausau West a 5-2 win over Superior. Hudson with a 8-0 win over Chippewa Falls.
#1 Memorial vs. #4 Stevens Point
#3 Wausau West vs. #2 Hudson
#1 Bay Port vs. #4 Green Bay Preble
#2 Appleton North vs. #6 Appleton West
Coaches Poll Week 8
No change as we enter the playoffs.
- Marquette
- Arrowhead
- Verona
- Madison West
- EC Memorial
- Madison East
- Oconomowac
- Neenah
- Homestead
- Hudson
D2-D3-D4 Regional Updates
In D2, #4 River Falls advances with a 3-2 win over LaCrosse Central but now faces off against top seeded Onalaska.
#6 Menomonie fell to #3 Holman 8-1 and is eliminated.
#2 New Richmond dominated #7 Tomah 9-0 to advance to the next round against #2 Holman.
In D3, #1 Rice Lake plays on Thursday.
In D4, #8 McDonell/Regis won against #9 Wisc Valley Lutheran and takes on #1 seed Barron in the next round.