MONROE — Coming into its game with Whitewater on Thursday, Monroe had a lot of momentum. The Cheesemakers won their first game in nearly two season, 4-0 over Janesville Parker on Saturday, and drew with Wisconsin Heights on Tuesday.
On paper, Monroe looked to be competitive with Whitewater. Both teams lost their Rock Valley Conference opener — Monroe 7-0 to East Troy and Whitewater 8-0 to Delavan-Darien. The Whippets put the Cheesemakers’ run to an end though, with a 2-0 victory on Thursday, Sept. 14. Both goals were scored in the opening minutes of each half.
“We had a lot of momentum coming into this game. We just aren’t finishing early enough,” assistant coach Katelyn Lindberg said. “We look slow in the beginning. The last 20 minutes are when we play our best. We have to learn how to start that momentum sooner.”
Monroe’s Nate Richardson made a save in the first minute, but Whitewater scored two minutes later. The Cheesemaker defense blocked the initial shot in the box, but the rebound found the back of the net.
In the last 20 minutes of the half, Monroe had multiple opportunities to score. Matthew Setterstrom put a shot on Whitewater’s goalie Casey Schlicher, who let up a rebound. Reece McIntosh was there for the second-chance shot, but Schlicher covered the ball just in time. Ten minutes later, McIntosh’s header sailed over the net.
“It’s good to have guys doing that,” junior defender Caleb Figi said of McIntosh’s aggression at the net. “We will eventually start scoring goals off that.”
While the Cheesemakers held the Whippets scoreless for the remainder of the first half, Whitewater regrouped during halftime to come out strong again in the second. Richardson came out of the goal to make a save, but Abdi Calvillo beat him to the ball for a goal 36 seconds in.
Once again, Monroe put on the pressure late in the second half. Figi put a shot on goal, forcing Schlicher to make a diving save. Twenty seconds later, Osmar Fernandez Sanchez’s shot went wide. On a corner kick in the 58th minute, Setterstrom’s ball nearly connected with Carsen Bartholf for a goal.
“We did mix up some things. Matt took a corner kick and let Carsen be in on it,” Lindberg said. “It’s nice to have some extra height in when we are playing those corners. They both have a really great ball they can put across. It’s just capitalizing on it.”
Whitewater’s Richi Kalra picked up a yellow card in the final two minutes, as he shoved Setterstrom without the ball. Fernandez Sanchez’s ensuing free kick was blocked.
Despite the loss, Lindberg was pleased with the performance, acknowledging that the young Cheesemaker team was starting to come together.
“I thought that they played really well,” Lindberg said. “They are coming together as a team. They just have to keep moving forward and keep their heads up.”
