BELLEVILLE — The Raiders need just one win to clinch at least a share of the Capitol Conference season title, but they will have to wait for another day. The moment was not to be Oct. 8 on Senior Night, when Sugar River was stunned at home by Wisconsin Heights-Barneveld, 2-0.

“Hats off to Heights, they played a really nice game. I think if we just settled down, it would have been OK,” Sugar River coach Bob Gentilli said.

For the first 30 minutes of the game, it appeared as if Sugar River had seized much of the control. There were a handful of opportunities in the box and on corner kicks, but the Vanguards were able to clear the threat each time. 

“I thought we possessed well and had a decent game. Our shots just didn’t go in,” Gentilli said. “I think if we would have had a little more patience, we would have been OK. I think we were trying to push the ball and trying to match their energy, and we didn’t need to do that.”

In the blink of an eye, Wisconsin Heights-Barneveld (6-4-1, 5-2 Capitol) came crashing on a counterattack and the Raiders found themselves out of position and out-maneuvered. Senior keeper Julian Lutz tried to step up in the box to beat ball-handler Gibson Heathcote, but he was late, and Heathcote used a final touch to put the ball into the back-left corner of the net.

“That first goal, I knew they owned the 18 right away. It was a quick play on the 18 and a strike right through the center,” Lutz said. “I tried stepping on it and taking out the guy — being the bigger guy. But the quick touch took me out and got the goal.”

The goal, which came at the 42:10 mark of the first half, seemed to rattle the Raiders as halftime came moments later.

“Especially in this conference, things can change in an instant. You never know when it’s going to happen,” Raiders senior midfielder Charlie Douma said. “This happened to us two years ago, too, we got down 1-0 and it’s hard to recover. They are a quality opponent, but I feel like we definitely could have played better.”

In the second half, the Vanguards played with high spirit and kept the pressure on the Raiders, rarely allowing a counterattack to enter the middle of the field.

“There is not much we can do when they come out that hard. I think we were lacking in a few departments tonight, and I think that’s a credit to Heights,” Douma said.

Caught off guard again as the Vanguards pressed into the Raiders’ box, Sugar River (16-0, 6-1) found itself again spread out wider than desired and Caeben Schomber hit a hard strike across the box and past Lutz.

“It was one of those balls you see once in a while where you see and it’s like, ‘oh yeah, this is going in,’” Lutz said.

Wisconsin Heights-Barneveld finished the game with eight shots and three corners, while Sugar River had 15 shots and eight corners.

“I think everything is fine. The way that we move the ball, we just need to finish. We still have a shot at winning conference, we just need to win our next two games against Cambridge and Lakeside Lutheran,” Gentilli said. “I don’t see anything we are going to change — we’re not going to change formation; we’re not going to change players. We just need to be the first to the ball and that’s what it all comes down to.”

Lodi (8-5-1, 6-2) is tied with Sugar River at the top of the Capitol table with 18 points apiece. The Vanguards and Lake Mills (10-6-2, 5-2) are second with 15 points. Each win carries three points, while a tie is worth one point.

The Raiders are at Cambridge-Deerfield (6-5-3, 3-3-1) Oct. 14, then travel to Lakeside Lutheran (1-13, 0-7) the following day. The final game on the regular season schedule is a nonconference match at home against Edgewood Oct. 17.

“We have to reorganize as a team and I see this as something to learn from. We can’t see it as a loss, but just as something to learn from. Hopefully we’ll take on Cambridge with some force,” Lutz said.