MCFARLAND — Very few teams get to end their season with a win in high school sports. For Sugar River’s girls soccer team, that end came in the WIAA Division 3 sectional final June 19, with unbeaten and top-ranked McFarland taking care of business, 4-0.

“There wasn’t a lot of room for error, and I would even say that we didn’t make a ton of errors, they are just a really good team,” Sugar River coach John Ziperski said. “I felt really proud of our team, but they were at a level that I feel made it very difficult to mount an attack. We were on defense quite a bit.”

It was the third time in as many seasons the Raiders had made it to at least the sectional final. In 2018, the Raiders won and reached the state tournament. In 2019, the season ended with a loss. Following the scrapped 2020 season, this year’s seniors wanted to continue to show off the strength of the program.

“I really just want to talk about the seniors, because they lost their junior year and this year I challenged them to reestablish (the program). In any given year, if you don’t have somebody continue traditions, they are lost, and I felt like they did a great job of reestablishing what we are about and why we do things,” Ziperski said. “I feel strong going forward that we have some of those back in place. I felt all along that we talked about using the moment, enjoying the moment and being grateful for the opportunity and finding some joy. And I felt like those things really stood out this entire season.”

To get to the sectional final, the Raiders (14-2-1) had to get past Evansville June 17. Led by senior striker Jaylynn Benson’s three goals, Sugar River did just that in front of their home crowd in Belleville. Benson scored on a header off of a corner kick in the opening minutes, then added a second goal on a rebound that deflected off the keeper on a hard rush. In the second half, Benson went one-on-one on a breakaway to put it away.

But the biggest challenge of the season lurked on the turf at McFarland High School. The Spartans shut down Madison Edgewood in its own sectional semifinal and came in with a chip on their shoulder. In 2019, Sugar River defeated the Spartans on the same field, winning in penalty kicks after a 0-0 draw through two overtimes. This time wouldn’t play out nearly as well.

“We talk about ‘the journey’ all the time. We talk about ‘being in the moment’, and I felt like we did that this year,” Ziperski said. “To be here is an honor, and I told the girls it was an honor to coach them. These seniors gave it everything and it was a great experience for everyone, myself included.”

This year’s game appeared to be headed down a similar path as 2019. While McFarland controlled much of the possession, the Raiders defense kept the Spartans from gaining any advantage inside the box. For the first 30 minutes, that is.

As the clock passed the 30-minute mark of the first half, Jaelyn White set up the ball for a corner kick. She was aiming to the middle of the box and found Stella Blau’s forehead, and the ball caromed into the back of the net between three Raider defenders at the 30:27 mark.

Despite falling behind, the Raiders didn’t look phased, knowing that in order to win, they would have to score a goal anyway. But less than 13 minutes later, the Spartans were sending another corner kick into the box. This time, Raiders defender Emma Anson leapt to put a chest on the ball to clear, only for the ball to also graze her arm, which was pulled tightly against the chest. A penalty kick was awarded for a handball in the box. White took the shot, going low right into the back of the net beyond a diving Morgan Thompson, Sugar River’s keeper.

The 2-0 deficit took the wind out of the Raiders sails like doldrums in the ocean.

“The PK was difficult to swallow. It could be considered a handball, and when you make a handball in the box like that, in a game like this, it’s a little bit light, I would say. It did make a big difference on our morale,” Ziperski said. “Unfortunate that it happened that way, but it’s not going to take away their skill or their attack. Maybe, if anything, it made us reassess how we wanted to play and made us enjoy the game a little bit more than just hold on to a 1-0 game.”

Seven minutes into the second half, Greta Blau scored on a blast from outside the 18 to make it 3-0 McFarland. Thompson was replaced minutes later by senior Kaitlyn Peterson, who later allowed another goal from Greta Blau from almost the same location in the 67th minute.

After the game, tears filled the eyes of Raiders players. Student-athletes from Belleville and New Glarus had come together after the pandemic to regain a sense of normalcy, and that included yet another deep run in the postseason.

“Let’s hope that continues. It can’t be taken away from this juggernaut (McFarland) — there was not a lot in question. They have a good team and I wish them really well at state. And maybe they win state and decide they don’t want to play anymore — that would be great,” Ziperski quipped.

Senior forward Francesca Schiro’s eyes watered up as she spoke to her teammates in the huddle at midfield after the game.

“I just told the team to really take in the Raider program — you never really know when you’re going to lose a season like we did (2020). It’s really special to have two schools combine into one sport — you can create a lot of new friends. Just really take it in, because it’s really special,” Schiro said.

Schiro said the end of the season — and her career — didn’t yet feel real.

“I’m super sad. This was one of the best years of Raiders soccer I’ve ever been on. The team bonded super well. I made some really good friends — I’m walking off the field with some of my best friends. It doesn’t feel real to me yet. It’s really sad knowing that this is my last time on the field in this Raiders jersey, and I am really proud to be a Raider,” Schiro said. “Playing with the best group of girls I’ve ever been with — great bonding, team dinners. We hold a Boot Camp before the season starts that really helps our team chemistry. The whole thing — even just playing on the field and seeing everyone’s smiles. You can really see the passion in everyone.”

First-team all-conference midfielder Kirsten Krantz likened the team to family, and said that while the team had a lot of success during her time in high school, it was the relationships she made that she’ll remember the most.

“Two communities coming together — I’ve made amazing friends from both communities. Especially Boot Camp — we had fun with that. It helped bring us together,” Krantz said, adding that she was in a bit of disbelief that it was all over. She’ll attend UW-Milwaukee in the fall to study biomedical sciences and hang up her cleats.

Thompson, who allowed seven goals on the season, said those that are coming back will have to continue to prepare all offseason. She said the defense should be strong again next spring, but that the offense will need to find a way to score. Benson had 24 goals this season, while Krantz added seven, Regyn Jelle three and Schiro and Emma Anson with two each. Freshman Bella Brenkman had nine goals this year, while forward Callie Smith scored six times and freshman Carrah Bainbridge four times. 

“For next year, we’ll still have a very good defensive team, because we’re only losing one of our five main defenders. I definitely think we’ll have to work on scoring and improving our scoring abilities,” Thompson said. 

Thompson took over between the sticks this season, replacing all-state keeper Rachael Heittola.

“I definitely had big shoes to fill, considering the previous goalkeeper (Heittola) was 6-2. It went pretty well. Everyone listened well and bonded and meshed well as a team on and off the field,” Thompson said. “Defense supports us a lot — we are a very defensive team. They help me a lot, and if I am not 100% I know they for sure have my back and will always cover me.”