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No one has beaten the Sauk Prairie boys soccer team on their new turf field but Dodgeville/Mineral Point gave it their best shot Thursday.
But it was the Eagles who held on for another home win as they handed the United team a 3-1 loss in the WIAA Division 2 Sectional semifinals.
The Eagles used a combination of speed and a spread out offense to take a 2-0 first half lead. The D/MP squad played the Eagles even the second half, 1-1.
Misael Domomgiez scored the first goal for the Eagles at the 15:33 mark of the first half. At 21:10 Elliot Carlson got a shot into the net for a 2-0 lead.
A third Eagle scored at the 74:26 mark of the second half for a 3-0 lead.
Dodgeville/Mineral Point's goal came at 78:26 courtesy of Drew Hottenstein who took an assist from Owen McDonald for the score.
Both teams played strong defense as the United team garnered seven shots on goal and the Eagles six. Luke Baumgardt saved six goals for Sauk Prairie with D/MP's Zach Breuer saving three.
Dodge/Point coach Kyle Glynn said the speed of the Eagles was more than his team had experienced this season and it caused some concern.
"The speed that Sauk played at took quite a while for us to adjust to, especially combined with the extra speed of the surface as this was our first game playing on turf this season," Glynn said. "It basically took the first 50-60 minutes of the game for us to make those adjustments. The last 30 minutes of the game were much better, and we had several quality scoring chances. Unluckily for us, only one of them found the net."
Glynn said the game plan the Eagles used was solid.
"Sauk definitely spread out their attacks and used the size of the field to their advantage. They were very patient with the ball, and controlled possession with their defenders and midfielders, which is something that we don't typically face up against," Glynn said. "Because of that, it makes the shots on net/saves a little deceiving. Although they only had six total shots on net, Sauk controlled possession of the ball for probably 90% of the first half. And in a sense, we were actually ok with that, as it allowed us to focus on our defensive shape and not get pulled out of position when we had possession of the ball against a team that could quickly counter attack us when we lost our shape. For the last 30 minutes or so of the game, once we adjusted to their speed and style of play, the possession was much more even, and I would say we even controlled the pace of the game for that last 30 minutes."
Sauk Prairie then got to host the Sectional finals at their place Saturday and kept the win streak on their field intact. They will be at State this week.
Glynn and the D/MP squad came away with a lot of respect for the Eagles.
"Sauk was definitely the best team we have faced this season. All 11 of their players on the field, including their goalkeeper, were very confident with the ball at their feet and they were able to control possession very well because of that," Glynn said. "Like I said earlier though, once we adjusted to them and to the field surface, we were able to play them evenly for the last 30 minutes of the game. Also, keep in mind that Sauk is usually up a division from us. With the restructuring due to COVID, we were moved up to Division 2."
The loss to the Eagles was the first for the United squad this season which makes the COVID 2020 season remarkable.
"This has to be my most memorable season as a coach, both due to the circumstances of the pandemic as well as the great successes of our team," said Glynn. "We finished the season with a 10-1 record. The only time all season that we were behind in score was the last game against Sauk. We outscored our opponents 48-9, and had shutouts in 5 of our 11 games. We also won our first SWC conference championship since 2013 and our first Regional championship since 2008. Having the ability to compete during everything that has been going on in the world was a huge bright spot for myself and I think for the players also."
Glynn also salutes the seniors.
"The seniors this year played an invaluable role in helping to prepare the team for the season, with the limited contact that I was able/allowed to have throughout the summer and early fall," Glynn said. "Their leadership played a huge part in the success of the team. It's been a privilege and an honor to coach them over the last 4 years and we will miss them dearly in the future."