MONROE - Senior Atticus Pond scored a goal in the 70th minute to propel the Monroe High School boys soccer team to a 1-0 win over Madison Edgewood Tuesday at T.R. Holyoke Field.
"It was a big win for us," Monroe coach Tony Vasquez said. "The kids were really excited about playing on the football field."
Monroe usually plays its home soccer games at Honey Creek Park, but the match was moved to the high school due to homecoming.
"It's something we have wanted to try," Vasquez said. "With the new A.D. (activities director Jeff Newcomer) we decided to try it. It gives the players a feeling like they are closer to the school and they are not separated from the other sports. More of their friends came out to watch them play."
After enduring a five-game losing streak, the Cheesemakers (4-8-1, 1-3 Badger South) have now won two straight games. The win against the Crusaders comes on the heels of a 3-1 win over Dodgeville-Mineral Point on Sept. 23.
With eight freshmen and sophomores playing on varsity, Monroe has a young core developing and starting to peak.
"They are starting to believe they can play with these older kids," Vasquez said. "They are getting an understanding of how much faster the game is compared to junior varsity and eighth-grade soccer."
Pond scored the lone goal on an assist from freshman Aaron Ziolkowski at 69 minutes, 14 seconds.
"Atticus fought his way through a couple of guys and got off a side volley," he said.
The goal was set up by a header from sophomore Nick Schumacher that led to Ziolkowski's pass over the top of the Crusaders' defense.
"It all started on our end," Vasquez said. "There were three passes that set that up."
The Cheesemakers played short-handed. Senior midfielder Silas Setterstrom was out due to illness and sophomore Jahir Valentine missed the game due to a pulled hamstring.
"We brought up a couple of kids from the JV team, and they played with everything they had," Vasquez said. "They have played hard every game and they got rewarded."
Monroe sophomore goalkeeper Devan Schulte had nine saves.
"He played an incredible game to get the shutout," Vasquez said. "A couple of the saves were one-on-one against attackers, and he just stuffed them."
"It was a big win for us," Monroe coach Tony Vasquez said. "The kids were really excited about playing on the football field."
Monroe usually plays its home soccer games at Honey Creek Park, but the match was moved to the high school due to homecoming.
"It's something we have wanted to try," Vasquez said. "With the new A.D. (activities director Jeff Newcomer) we decided to try it. It gives the players a feeling like they are closer to the school and they are not separated from the other sports. More of their friends came out to watch them play."
After enduring a five-game losing streak, the Cheesemakers (4-8-1, 1-3 Badger South) have now won two straight games. The win against the Crusaders comes on the heels of a 3-1 win over Dodgeville-Mineral Point on Sept. 23.
With eight freshmen and sophomores playing on varsity, Monroe has a young core developing and starting to peak.
"They are starting to believe they can play with these older kids," Vasquez said. "They are getting an understanding of how much faster the game is compared to junior varsity and eighth-grade soccer."
Pond scored the lone goal on an assist from freshman Aaron Ziolkowski at 69 minutes, 14 seconds.
"Atticus fought his way through a couple of guys and got off a side volley," he said.
The goal was set up by a header from sophomore Nick Schumacher that led to Ziolkowski's pass over the top of the Crusaders' defense.
"It all started on our end," Vasquez said. "There were three passes that set that up."
The Cheesemakers played short-handed. Senior midfielder Silas Setterstrom was out due to illness and sophomore Jahir Valentine missed the game due to a pulled hamstring.
"We brought up a couple of kids from the JV team, and they played with everything they had," Vasquez said. "They have played hard every game and they got rewarded."
Monroe sophomore goalkeeper Devan Schulte had nine saves.
"He played an incredible game to get the shutout," Vasquez said. "A couple of the saves were one-on-one against attackers, and he just stuffed them."
