MADISON - For 80 minutes Saturday, the Sugar River girls soccer team kept pace with one of the top teams in the state at Breese Stevens Field in Madison. Tied up at 2-2 after regulation, heavy rain and lightning forced the WIAA to postpone overtime until Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
"It's better to just come back and finish it out on the field. They played 80 great minutes of soccer, but the weather and field conditions were not good and someone could have gotten hurt," Sugar River head coach John Ziperski said. "The rain was kind of an equalizer of talents."
If the third-seeded Raiders (20-3) do pull off the upset over the second-seeded Spartans (16-6) Tuesday, they will likely have to do it without Michelle Disch, who has picked up her play as of late, scoring six goals over the last three games. Disch and a McFarland defender were battling for a ball deep in Spartans territory when Disch was bumped and fell awkwardly, hurting her right knee. A year ago, Disch suffered an ACL injury in her left knee and she said the feeling felt similar.
With the field soaked from a continual rain, Sugar River junior Hannah Kernen, a two-time all-state player, scored four minutes into the game. It was Kernen's 36th goal of the season.
"We came out strong and really surprised them (McFarland) with a goal. Hannah got a great volley off of a corner kick from Mackenzie Christensen," Ziperski said.
Both teams were tied 1-1 when McFarland's Sara Stern scored in the 59th minute to put the Spartans up, and to put the Raiders' season on the brink of ending.
With eight minutes left, Trisha Boley played the role of hero. Boley split the defense and took a pass from Kernen, sending the ball into the net to tie up the game.
"That was huge for the girls and the program," Ziperski said of the goal. "Now the season is extended, if only just for a goal."
Ziperski added that the wind and rain had a wet mix not only for the field, but for those on the bench.
"It was cold on the bench. It was cold and wet. Unfortunately I couldn't get enough players onto the field with the game going the way it was," Ziperski said.
Also moved from Saturday was the start of the Madison Edgewood/Mount Horeb game. Originally slated for Saturday night, the two teams will go to battle at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The winner of the 5:30 game, as well as the 7 p.m. game, will meet up for the regional title game Thursday.
"It's better to just come back and finish it out on the field. They played 80 great minutes of soccer, but the weather and field conditions were not good and someone could have gotten hurt," Sugar River head coach John Ziperski said. "The rain was kind of an equalizer of talents."
If the third-seeded Raiders (20-3) do pull off the upset over the second-seeded Spartans (16-6) Tuesday, they will likely have to do it without Michelle Disch, who has picked up her play as of late, scoring six goals over the last three games. Disch and a McFarland defender were battling for a ball deep in Spartans territory when Disch was bumped and fell awkwardly, hurting her right knee. A year ago, Disch suffered an ACL injury in her left knee and she said the feeling felt similar.
With the field soaked from a continual rain, Sugar River junior Hannah Kernen, a two-time all-state player, scored four minutes into the game. It was Kernen's 36th goal of the season.
"We came out strong and really surprised them (McFarland) with a goal. Hannah got a great volley off of a corner kick from Mackenzie Christensen," Ziperski said.
Both teams were tied 1-1 when McFarland's Sara Stern scored in the 59th minute to put the Spartans up, and to put the Raiders' season on the brink of ending.
With eight minutes left, Trisha Boley played the role of hero. Boley split the defense and took a pass from Kernen, sending the ball into the net to tie up the game.
"That was huge for the girls and the program," Ziperski said of the goal. "Now the season is extended, if only just for a goal."
Ziperski added that the wind and rain had a wet mix not only for the field, but for those on the bench.
"It was cold on the bench. It was cold and wet. Unfortunately I couldn't get enough players onto the field with the game going the way it was," Ziperski said.
Also moved from Saturday was the start of the Madison Edgewood/Mount Horeb game. Originally slated for Saturday night, the two teams will go to battle at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The winner of the 5:30 game, as well as the 7 p.m. game, will meet up for the regional title game Thursday.
