For the Antigo Times

The Antigo Red Robins boys varsity soccer team continued their season with a home match this past Friday night against visiting Northland Pines, losing 10-0.

In recent play, Pines had just came off a loss and then a tie, and have opened their season 1-2-1, while the Robins now stand at 0-6, including three tournament matches.

The Robins continue to struggle with strain and injuries, with a number of usual varsity starters out recuperating giving some JV players more on playing time.

Coach Ben Wilhelm explained, “A number of our players are suffering some nagging muscle strains or injuries, so we decided we needed to give those guys as much rest as possible. We’re hopeful that some rest over a long holiday weekend will get those guys healthy and back on track.”
Play opened quickly with three Pines’ goals at two, three, and eight minutes into the match. The Eagles worked well up the side lines, and caught the Robins off guard. Scoring slowed through the half, but the Robins still allowed seven goals in the first half.

Junior Luis Hernandez took a short turn in goal to start the match, and then moved up to bolster the offense at forward, while junior Ben Lewandowski took his usual place in the net.

Offensively, Antigo did see some success holding possession on the Northland Pines side of the field for 30 to 40 percent of the time. Senior Tyler Husnick, a newcomer to the team, started some good combination play with freshman Brody Bunnell and sophomore Noah Samolinski. Samolinski had a number of shots on goal, including a very close shot off the inside of the goal post. Husnick also challenged Pines’ goalie a few times, coming close to a goal. Freshman Zander Aros showed excellent speed and was able to take a few shots as well.

In the second half, the Eagles closed the match early, recording three more goals, with the third at exactly 60 minutes, for a final score of 10-0.

“We had a tough match, being scored on often, but that was tempered by offensive strength on our part that we haven’t seen in prior years,” Wilhelm added. “Pines attack was successful because of their quick passes. We showed the same kinds of skills, but not at the same speed, so we’re eager to continue practicing and sharpen our attack. And we’re looking forward to a rematch with Clintonville next week Tuesday, and a much more even score than our last meeting which was 1-6.”

The Robins play next away at Clintonville this evening at 4 p.m.