Kickers score 19 goals, still have a 2-1 week

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The Raider soccer team beat Rice Lake 9-0 and Menomonie 8-0, but between that was a showdown with Eau Claire Memorial where a comeback wasn’t enough, and they lost 3-2.

Going into the match with Memorial, both teams were battling for second place behind Eau Claire North in the Big Rivers Conference.

“We opened very strong, going at them hard for the first 15 minutes,” said Coach Scott Masini. “Memorial could not settle into their game, and we kept the pressure on when Nick Lund found Mackenzie Lund for the opening goal of the match.”

This seemed to put a spark into Memorial, Masini said. “However, we still played really well, controlling the first half.” Still, the score became tied at the 26-minute mark, when Hudson didn’t clear the ball off their line and Memorial slotted it home for their first goal.

Minutes later, Memorial took the lead for good when the Raiders again couldn’t clear the ball off the line from a corner kick.

Even though Hudson was down 2-1 at half, Masini said he felt good about their position. “I thought we would go out and control the play and get the equalizing goal. Memorial had different plans,” Masini said. “They came out pressuring us relentlessly. We weren’t prepared for that type of pressure and it took us awhile to get it sorted out.”

Memorial gained a two-goal advantage early in the half when they broke in on Hudson’s right side. “We were trying to get the goal back so quick that we forgot to get back to defend; we really hung our defense out to dry,” Masini said.

But the Raiders continued to battle and in the 79th minute, Chris Berglund got behind the defense on the left side and crossed a pass into Lars Bichrt, who headed it past the Memorial goalie.

“With seconds left, our guys continued to battle,” Masini said. “I was quite proud of them in their effort.”

Hudson was scheduled to play host to River Falls on Tuesday and then it gets really exciting, Masini said. On Thursday, Hudson heads to Collinsville, Ill., a suburb of St. Louis, to compete in the Gateway City Soccer Classic, a sure sign that the Raider program is getting recognized country-wide.

“Currently there are six teams ranked in the top 20 national poll that will be competing in this tournament,” Masini said. Hudson starts with the host school, Quincy High School of Illinois, and also will play teams from Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and Kentucky.

“It should be a great learning experience for the boys and also an opportunity for us to measure ourselves on a national level,” Masini said.

Hudson’s record stands at 12-3-2 overall and 5-1-1 in conference.

Tags: sports, hudson, soccer, boys, raiders