MONROE - Monroe senior Kelli Isaj found out that sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.
Isaj had a breakaway shot late in the second half that was deflected off Sauk Prairie junior goalkeeper Cristian Flores at the near post. Sauk Prairie senior defender Paul Ballweg slid in to the goal to clear the shot and he knocked in what proved to be the game-winner that gave the Cheesemakers a 3-2 win Thursday at Honey Creek Park.
"If you go very hard sometimes the luck comes," Isaj said of the game-winning goal that came at 68 minutes, 27 seconds. "We were going hard. I was just trying hard to score and we did."
Monroe coach Tony Stamm is a proponent of the Cheesemakers forcing the issue on offense and making their own luck.
"It's always nice to be lucky," Stamm said. "A lot of that is because everyone was pushing down there. That's why you never give up when you get down there. It was really exciting to get a home win. We have a lot of respect for Sauk Prairie. We always look forward to playing Sauk Prairie because they are a good team and they come to play."
Monroe (2-3, 0-1 Badger South) got on the board early when freshman Blake Duffy scored a goal on an assist from Jens Wohlbier at 15:35. Sauk Prairie (4-3-1) answered when senior midfielder Cody Fuchs scored at 30:35 to tie the game at 1.
Isaj scored the go-ahead goal in the second half when he blasted a shot to the far post to give the Cheesemakers a 2-1 lead. The Cheesemakers had several other scoring opportunities that could have broke the game open. Monroe junior Cody Stamm just missed punching in a goal in the 44th minute off Isaj's indirect kick. Monroe sophomore Corey Flannery had a shot that deflected off Flores in the 63rd minute and Isaj booted a shot over the top cross bar in the 65th minute.
Sauk Prairie sophomore midfielder Jason Thrune's pass at 66:44 turned into a game-tying goal when Monroe senior Sam Keizer headed the ball into the net. That set the stage for Isaj's game-winner with some help from the Eagles.
"We were off our game today," said Greg Frosch, Sauk Prairie coach. "I wasn't happy with the way we played. It's one of the games we want to forget and move forward."
Frosch saw the game with the Cheesemakers as a key matchup. Sauk Prairie, which has played Division 1 in the postseason the last several years, will play Division 2 this season.
"This is a win we needed down here," he said. "There are a lot better teams in our sectional than Monroe."
The Eagles wouldn't go away quietly with two golden scoring opportunities on crosses late in the second half. Sauk Prairie freshman forward Juan Elizondo just missed a potential game-tying shot with 33 seconds left.
"We had a lot of opportunities," Frosch said. "We had a lot of bad luck today."
Despite playing with only three players to substitute in on the bench, the Cheesemakers were able to hang on. Isaj sees it as a defining win when the intensity picked up in the second half.
"They were trying to get us out of control," he said. "They were a physical team."
Isaj had a breakaway shot late in the second half that was deflected off Sauk Prairie junior goalkeeper Cristian Flores at the near post. Sauk Prairie senior defender Paul Ballweg slid in to the goal to clear the shot and he knocked in what proved to be the game-winner that gave the Cheesemakers a 3-2 win Thursday at Honey Creek Park.
"If you go very hard sometimes the luck comes," Isaj said of the game-winning goal that came at 68 minutes, 27 seconds. "We were going hard. I was just trying hard to score and we did."
Monroe coach Tony Stamm is a proponent of the Cheesemakers forcing the issue on offense and making their own luck.
"It's always nice to be lucky," Stamm said. "A lot of that is because everyone was pushing down there. That's why you never give up when you get down there. It was really exciting to get a home win. We have a lot of respect for Sauk Prairie. We always look forward to playing Sauk Prairie because they are a good team and they come to play."
Monroe (2-3, 0-1 Badger South) got on the board early when freshman Blake Duffy scored a goal on an assist from Jens Wohlbier at 15:35. Sauk Prairie (4-3-1) answered when senior midfielder Cody Fuchs scored at 30:35 to tie the game at 1.
Isaj scored the go-ahead goal in the second half when he blasted a shot to the far post to give the Cheesemakers a 2-1 lead. The Cheesemakers had several other scoring opportunities that could have broke the game open. Monroe junior Cody Stamm just missed punching in a goal in the 44th minute off Isaj's indirect kick. Monroe sophomore Corey Flannery had a shot that deflected off Flores in the 63rd minute and Isaj booted a shot over the top cross bar in the 65th minute.
Sauk Prairie sophomore midfielder Jason Thrune's pass at 66:44 turned into a game-tying goal when Monroe senior Sam Keizer headed the ball into the net. That set the stage for Isaj's game-winner with some help from the Eagles.
"We were off our game today," said Greg Frosch, Sauk Prairie coach. "I wasn't happy with the way we played. It's one of the games we want to forget and move forward."
Frosch saw the game with the Cheesemakers as a key matchup. Sauk Prairie, which has played Division 1 in the postseason the last several years, will play Division 2 this season.
"This is a win we needed down here," he said. "There are a lot better teams in our sectional than Monroe."
The Eagles wouldn't go away quietly with two golden scoring opportunities on crosses late in the second half. Sauk Prairie freshman forward Juan Elizondo just missed a potential game-tying shot with 33 seconds left.
"We had a lot of opportunities," Frosch said. "We had a lot of bad luck today."
Despite playing with only three players to substitute in on the bench, the Cheesemakers were able to hang on. Isaj sees it as a defining win when the intensity picked up in the second half.
"They were trying to get us out of control," he said. "They were a physical team."
