Soccer falls to state powerhouse

• Seth Blum (13) knocks a Stillwater forward off the ball

Junior captain Seth Blum (13) knocks a Stillwater forward off the ball in the first half of the Raiders’ 4-0 nonconference loss to the Ponies Monday night at the middle school field. Blum earned the Raiders’ Man of the Match award for his play in the game. Photo by Bob Burrows

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The Raider boys soccer team had its hands full in its last two matches.

The Raiders squared off against the defending Big Rivers Conference champion and 2010 Wisconsin State Tournament semifinalist Eau Claire Memorial Old Abes last Thursday, Aug. 25, and Minnesota’s third-ranked Stillwater Ponies this past Monday, Aug. 29.

They dropped a 1-0 decision to the Old Abes before losing 4-0 to Stillwater.

Hudson battled Eau Claire Memorial to a scoreless draw for the first 55 minutes last Thursday with freshman goalkeeper Major Klein coming up with some big saves to keep the Old Abes off the scoreboard. Memorial finally broke through on a counter attack for the only goal of the game midway through the second half.

“Our midfield played a strong game, led by Man of the Match Aleksander Spasic, who played his strongest game all season,” Raider coach Chuck Bublitz said. “He broke up a number of Memorial attacks and was strong in helping fuel our attack. Captain Rocky Harmon also had a good game in midfield. He helped us maintain possession and build our attack against a strong and dedicated Memorial defensive effort.”

This past Monday at home against third-ranked Stillwater, the Ponies scored three second half goals to hand Hudson a 4-0 defeat.

“We were good in the first half against steady pressure from the Ponies,” Bublitz said. “We continued to grow as a team, making improvements from the first to second half in both our offensive and defensive game.”

Junior captain Seth Blum earned the team’s Man of the Match award for his play at center back.

“He was constantly winning the ball, covering for teammates and helping us build our attack out of the back,” Bublitz said. “Henry Brose also did a lot of hard work on the flanks and up top, causing problems for Stillwater with his pace and effort.”

The Raiders, now 2-2 overall, 0-1 in the BRC, will host River Falls (4-2, 2-0) Thursday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m.

Tags: sports, soccer, raiders, prep