Breaking News Breaks go Eagles' way in 7-0 GNC boys soccer loss  Following a week long break between games, the Antigo Red Robins boys soccer team returned to play Thursday, with a Great Northern Conference road game in Eagle River against Northland Pines. Despite a very competitive first half, several breaks provided big momentum swings to the Eagles in an eventual 7-0 Pines' win. Antigo's first ten minutes of the contest were tenuous, but they recovered to have an excellent first half, keeping possession very even. The Robins held strong and played smart defense as the game remained scoreless until the 40th minute, when a player slipped past defenders for a close shot on goal. Moments later in the first 41st minute, the Eagles scored again after a penalty kick was awarded for what appeared to be an unintentional handball in the box, as Northland Pines went to the half leading 2-0. Antigo goalkeeper Cordell Umland showed excellent effort with 12 saves in the first half. Brody Bunnell statistically led the Robins' limited, but solid offensive efforts. Antigo felt confident heading into the second half, however the Robins' bad luck continued as the half began similar to the way the first half ended. One minute in, another unmarked opponent capitalized and scored on a breakaway. Another penalty kick was awarded in confusing cirucmstances in the fourth minute, resulting in a 4-0 Pines' advantage. “Ideally we'd say that circumstances we can't control, like an awarded penalty kick, shouldn't effect our play,” Head Coach Ben Wilhelm said. “But in the end our players are still human and that sort of thing can take the wind out of our sails.” The Robins' second half efforts increased, with Bunnell, Noah Samolinski, and Milo Wittmann seeing shots on goal. Umland recorded another 10 saves in goal giving him 22 for the match and reflecting his continued solid performance, but Northland Pines put three more goals on the board, aided by defensive failures in the 7-0 win. “It was difficult to watch our boys struggle and mentally tire during a series of unfortunate events,” Wilhelm said. “In the end they kept their heads up and I'm proud of them for pushing and not giving up.” The loss drops the Robins to 2-4-2 overall, and 0-2 in the GNC. Northland Pines is now 2-0 in conference play and 5-1 overall. “Despite the tough final score, statistically we stayed pretty even with Pines the whole match, possession was often very even and we frequently had great offensive looks,” Wilhelm added. “Our players did better than they tought they did, we'll be focusing more in practive developing offensive tools to give us more shots and chances at the net as we move into the next two-thirds of our season.” The boys soccer team now looks forward to a stretch of home games, starting with conference rival Medford on Tuesday. Breaks go Eagles' way in 7-0 GNC boys soccer loss Following a week long break between games, the Antigo Red Robins boys soccer team returned to play Thursday, with a Great Northern Conference road game in Eagle River against Northland Pines. Despite a very competitive first half, several breaks provided big momentum swings to the Eagles in an eventual 7-0 Pines' win. Antigo's first ten minutes of the contest were tenuous, but they recovered to have an excellent first half, keeping possession very even. The Robins held strong and played smart defense as the game remained scoreless until the 40th minute, when a player slipped past defenders for a close shot on goal. Moments later in the first 41st minute, the Eagles scored again after a penalty kick was awarded for what appeared to be an unintentional handball in the box, as Northland Pines went to the half leading 2-0. Antigo goalkeeper Cordell Umland showed excellent effort with 12 saves in the first half. Brody Bunnell statistically led the Robins' limited, but solid offensive efforts. Antigo felt confident heading into the second half, however the Robins' bad luck continued as the half began similar to the way the first half ended. One minute in, another unmarked opponent capitalized and scored on a breakaway. Another penalty kick was awarded in confusing cirucmstances in the fourth minute, resulting in a 4-0 Pines' advantage. “Ideally we'd say that circumstances we can't control, like an awarded penalty kick, shouldn't effect our play,” Head Coach Ben Wilhelm said. “But in the end our players are still human and that sort of thing can take the wind out of our sails.” The Robins' second half efforts increased, with Bunnell, Noah Samolinski, and Milo Wittmann seeing shots on goal. Umland recorded another 10 saves in goal giving him 22 for the match and reflecting his continued solid performance, but Northland Pines put three more goals on the board, aided by defensive failures in the 7-0 win. “It was difficult to watch our boys struggle and mentally tire during a series of unfortunate events,” Wilhelm said. “In the end they kept their heads up and I'm proud of them for pushing and not giving up.” The loss drops the Robins to 2-4-2 overall, and 0-2 in the GNC. Northland Pines is now 2-0 in conference play and 5-1 overall. “Despite the tough final score, statistically we stayed pretty even with Pines the whole match, possession was often very even and we frequently had great offensive looks,” Wilhelm added. “Our players did better than they tought they did, we'll be focusing more in practive developing offensive tools to give us more shots and chances at the net as we move into the next two-thirds of our season.” The boys soccer team now looks forward to a stretch of home games, starting with conference rival Medford on Tuesday. |
