MONROE — There’s just something about playing under the lights at T.R. Holyoke Field — and wearing black jerseys.

“It’s something about them being here with the stands, and the lights and the school (that) we get a different team,” Monroe coach Kyle Kasten said after his team’s 3-2 win over Milton Oct. 17. “(And) they like their black jerseys — they look good in them.”

The Cheesemakers normally play home games at Honey Creek Park but won their second conference game of the season at the high school football field. Monroe went nearly three years between conference wins, and now has back-to-back Ws at T.R. Holyoke Field.

“It was the last home game of the season, under the lights, we wanted it more tonight. It was a matter of getting down and fighting,” Monroe senior Aaron Ziolkowski said.

The win didn’t come easy. The Cheesemakers (3-12, 2-4 Badger South) fell behind 1-0 in the first half as Milton’s Lukas Mullen put a shot past Monroe keeper Julio Vasquez in the 23rd minute. 

But the home team put a bit of thought in pregame as to which direction to move — opting to go on the offensive attack into the heavy wind in the first half, and having the assistance of the wind at their backs in the second half.

“Julio likes having the wind in his face the first half so we have it (away from us) in the second half. It helps with our corner balls, and their kicks don’t go nearly as far,” said Monroe senior Aaron Ziolkowski.

Minutes into the second half, Ziolkowski was credited with a goal off an assist by Alex Barradas to even the score at 1-1.

Milton (8-9-1, 3-4) retook the lead again, with Deegan Riley hammering a knuckleball through the box and past a diving Vasquez at the 56:55 mark.

The wind became a factor in the following minutes, as the Cheesemakers were able to stretch their field with the speed of their forward. On one such occasion, a Milton foul gave Monroe a free kick opportunity from near the left sideline about 35 yards out from goal. 

Enter Barradas, a senior.

“I’ve been practicing and been on varsity for four years — since freshman year — and I guess free kicks are my specialty,” Barradas said.

Barradas curled the free kick over the head and into the back of the net, giving the Cheesemakers the equalizer they craved with just over 27 minutes to play.

 “I feel like after that goal we had huge momentum and inspiration,” Barradas said.

Barradas spread out his arms while running as if he were flying, then leapt at the midfield line and punched the air before running toward the home stands and celebrating with teammates.

“When you score a goal like that, a great goal, you have all the momentum. They were back on their heels and we went and popped another one in,” Ziolkowski said.

The momentum carried over for the home team. Entering the 69th minute, Barradas found freshman forward Alessandro Chagoya streaking up the field. Chagoya weaved between two defenders, moving to the right ride of the box before sending a kick back across the left side and past the Milton keeper.

“They did everything that we asked for. They found a belief in themselves and played for their team, and that’s a coach’s dream, in my opinion,” Kasten said.

Monroe maintained offensive pressure with the 3-2 advantage for much of the final 22 minutes. However, Milton came barreling in with a head of steam in the final five minutes. The Red Hawks nearly scored a couple of goals, but Vasquez & Co. were there to nix an equalizer.

“They executed everything that we needed them to do. They didn’t put their heads down,” Kasten said.

On one Milton rush, a pair of rebounds had Vasquez out of position and the right side of the goal seemingly there for the taking — except sophomore defender Jason Carpenter lunged to his left and got a shin on the ball to clear the threat.

“They played the entire 90 minutes. Great team win, and that’s how it’s played. It’s not a one-man game — we have to have 11 guys on a common mission and we had that tonight,” Kasten said.

As the time remaining went from minutes to seconds, Monroe took advantage of the wind, slamming multiple kicks out of bounds deep in the Milton defensive half, allowing only throw-ins. When the clock struck 90, Ziolkowski and his teammates went airborne in celebration.

“It feels great. It’s the second conference win this season, and the first time we’ve done that in a couple of years,” Ziolkowski said. “The big stands, the football field and the lights — it feels really good. Conference games here usually go pretty good for us.”

Monroe’s final regular season game was set for Oct. 17 at ninth-ranked Oregon (10-6-1, 6-0), which has also clinched the conference championship. The Cheesemakers travel to Mount Horeb (9-5-1) Oct. 24 in the WIAA Division 3 regional tournament.

“They are kind of making things interesting. We’ve got nothing to lose. If they come out and believe, anything can happen,” Kasten said.