MONROE - After losing a hard fought double shootout to Kaneland 1-0, the Cheesemaker soccer team was worn down and lost a second game in the Monroe Quad to Reedsburg 2-0 Saturday at Honey Creek Park.
In the first game of the quad, Monroe (4-2-2) played Kaneland, from Maple Park, Illinois, to a scoreless tie after two 30-minute halves. The game went to a shootout and the Cheesemakers got goals from juniors Kennedy Ludwig and Aly Einbeck.
With the first shootout tied at 2, Monroe sophomore goalie Anna Latimer had a ball glance off her hands for a critical save. Sophomore Emily Benzschawel's power shot went off the post and the game remained tied.
After Kaneland took a 3-2 lead, the Cheesemakers had one last chance and junior Brynn Ritschard scored a goal punching in a shot to the near post to tie the game at 3 to force a second shootout.
After Kaneland scored to open the second shootout, Monroe junior Morgan Seffrood had a shot to tie it again. Seffrood's shot went off the Kaneland goalie's hands and the Cheesemakers lost a nail-biter 1-0.
"Kaneland is a very good team," Monroe coach Kyle Kasten said. "They came out ready to play. It was good for us to see that competition. Our schedule is only going to get harder. They are an amazing team and well coached."
Benzschawel came inches away from giving the Cheesemakers the lead in the first shootout.
"Soccer is a game of inches sometimes," Kasten said. "If Emily's shot would have been a few inches the other way it may have been a different result. It was good for us to experience a game like this. We have some tough games coming up with Lodi and Sugar River. We just want to learn from our mistakes. That has been our motto and what we have been saying all year."
Kasten commended Latimer's play in the shootouts.
"Anna is a unique player," he said. "A shootout is very stressful for a keeper, coaches and fans. Anna has that mentality that she is going to go out there and do her best. If one goes in, she has the mentality not to let the next one go in."
Reedsburg jumped out to a 1-0 lead early in the second game against the Cheesemakers.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game because we tied them earlier this year," Kasten said. "By the time the second game started, we had about a 45-minute break. It was a tough turnaround. I knew the girls were not happy about it and I wasn't happy about it."
The Cheesemakers and Beavers tied 1-1 in a game April 7.
Monroe plays at Lodi at 6:45 p.m. today. The Cheesemakers knocked off the Blue Devils in a regional game last year.
"I'm sure Lodi wants to avenge that loss from last year," Kasten said. "They will come out hungry and hoping to win on their home field."
In the first game of the quad, Monroe (4-2-2) played Kaneland, from Maple Park, Illinois, to a scoreless tie after two 30-minute halves. The game went to a shootout and the Cheesemakers got goals from juniors Kennedy Ludwig and Aly Einbeck.
With the first shootout tied at 2, Monroe sophomore goalie Anna Latimer had a ball glance off her hands for a critical save. Sophomore Emily Benzschawel's power shot went off the post and the game remained tied.
After Kaneland took a 3-2 lead, the Cheesemakers had one last chance and junior Brynn Ritschard scored a goal punching in a shot to the near post to tie the game at 3 to force a second shootout.
After Kaneland scored to open the second shootout, Monroe junior Morgan Seffrood had a shot to tie it again. Seffrood's shot went off the Kaneland goalie's hands and the Cheesemakers lost a nail-biter 1-0.
"Kaneland is a very good team," Monroe coach Kyle Kasten said. "They came out ready to play. It was good for us to see that competition. Our schedule is only going to get harder. They are an amazing team and well coached."
Benzschawel came inches away from giving the Cheesemakers the lead in the first shootout.
"Soccer is a game of inches sometimes," Kasten said. "If Emily's shot would have been a few inches the other way it may have been a different result. It was good for us to experience a game like this. We have some tough games coming up with Lodi and Sugar River. We just want to learn from our mistakes. That has been our motto and what we have been saying all year."
Kasten commended Latimer's play in the shootouts.
"Anna is a unique player," he said. "A shootout is very stressful for a keeper, coaches and fans. Anna has that mentality that she is going to go out there and do her best. If one goes in, she has the mentality not to let the next one go in."
Reedsburg jumped out to a 1-0 lead early in the second game against the Cheesemakers.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game because we tied them earlier this year," Kasten said. "By the time the second game started, we had about a 45-minute break. It was a tough turnaround. I knew the girls were not happy about it and I wasn't happy about it."
The Cheesemakers and Beavers tied 1-1 in a game April 7.
Monroe plays at Lodi at 6:45 p.m. today. The Cheesemakers knocked off the Blue Devils in a regional game last year.
"I'm sure Lodi wants to avenge that loss from last year," Kasten said. "They will come out hungry and hoping to win on their home field."
