MILWAUKEE — With a 3-0 win over Pius XI in a WIAA Division 3 state semifinal game on Thursday, Nov. 2, Sugar River claimed a spot in the championship game. It is the furthest the program has gotten in the tournament, but other teams in the bracket doubted the Raiders would make it this far.

After the seeding meeting, Sugar River received the No. 4 seed despite an 18-2-1 record and finishing the season ranked No. 8 in Division 3. 

“I heard the word ‘underestimated,’” Sugar River head coach Bob Gentilli said of his team. “Even at the seeding, there wasn’t a lot of talk about Sugar River or our conference. It was all about record and playing Division 1 and 2 teams. It gave us a lot of fire that we were the No. 4 seed.”

The Raiders entered the tournament 14-2-1 with losses to the No. 6 team in Division 2, Westosha Central, and the No. 6 team in Division 3, Wisconsin Dells. Their tie came to No. 9 in Division 3, Edgewood.  

The path to state wasn’t easy, either. Sugar River knocked off rival McFarland and avenged its loss to Edgewood. Of the four sectional champions, the Raiders were ranked the second highest. Pius XI finished No. 4, Sugar River No. 8, Somerset No. 10 and Plymouth was unranked. 

Sugar River used the seeding as fuel, jumping on Pius XI early. Twenty-three seconds after a shot from Aiden Hatleberg went into Pope goalkeeper Keven Reyes Ramero’s chest, another shot found the back of the net. Pius XI’s defense turned the ball over and Hatleberg’s kick went off the top crossbar and in.

Seven minutes later, Hatleberg extended Sugar River’s lead to 2-0 with a penalty kick. Reyes Ramero dove to his left as Hatleberg’s shot went to the opposite side.

“We were the underdogs,” senior Josh Potter said. “We came out and showed our talent. We asserted our dominance and showed them that we were the better team.”

In the 14th minute, Potter came in for Nathan Hendrickson, and he made the most of his moment. Brycen Teasdale got tripped up on a breakaway and passed to Alvaro Perez from the ground. Perez centered a pass to Potter, who put it away in the left corner for a 3-0 lead midway through the first frame.

Eager to score before the half, Pius XI put the pressure on. Nic Gonzales-Polar took a shot from the edge of the box at 36:12 that Clayton Streiff stopped on a hop. A minute later, the Popes took a corner kick. Streiff got a hand on Andreo Marquez’s header, sending out a rebound. Santiago Lopez was ready, but his shot was blocked before the net by Jack Leonard.

The saves ensured Sugar River went into the half with a 3-0 lead. Although Pius XI didn’t have a goal to show for it, the Popes outshot the Raiders 10-7 in the first half with three corner-kick opportunities. 

Pius XI turned it around in the second frame, putting five shots on goal in the first five minutes and drawing a yellow card on Hatleberg.

“We had to match their fire, but for the first five minutes we didn’t all that well,” Gentilli said. “We just contained and held our ground.”

Streiff had his team’s back, though, stopping every shot on goal. In the 57th minute — with the sun in his eyes the entire second half — Streiff made a diving save, then got back up and made a second save on the rebound. 

“The sun was in my eyes. I was just trying to see the ball coming in,” Streiff said. “They really brought it in the second half and got a lot of shots off.”

While Pius XI had 16 shots in the second half – with nine on goal – the Raider defense limited the Popes’ open looks. Many shots were taken from 18 yards out or more.

“A lot of those shots were outside of the box. We knew they could strike outside of the 18, so we had to put a little pressure on them,” Gentilli said. “If they don’t have pressure, they make those shots — that’s what got them here.”

With just under four minutes left in the game, Gentilli subbed in his bench, where Lucas Meyer put a shot on goal. The Popes took two more shots before the clock ran out, but both went wide as the Raiders kept the 3-0 shutout intact.

Streiff played all 80 minutes in net, stopping all 12 shots on goal. The Popes took another 14 shots for 26 total. Sugar River, on the other hand, had 12 shots total with five on target. Hatleberg added two goals to his season total, which is now up to 40. Potter notched his third goal of the season with an assist from Perez.

Sugar River will play Plymouth at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 4 in the Division 3 state championship. Plymouth beat Somerset 5-0.

“It’ll be the last game, so you have to put everything on the line,” Potter said. “We are going to do it. We are going to bring home the gold ball.”