MONROE - The Monroe soccer team hung with the defending Division 2 state champion Oregon Panthers for 60 minutes Thursday at Honey Creek Park before offensive struggles finally caught up to the Cheesemakers.
Monroe lost the game 4-0, but strong defensive play kept the team within a goal for most of the game. The loss drops Monroe to 4-9, 1-3 Badger South.
"They're a very disciplined team. They set up the ball really well," Monroe coach Tony Vasquez said of the Panthers. "We knew it would be a tough game tonight. They're probably the best team we played so far this year."
Vasquez lauded the play of senior goalkeeper Austin Murphy, who notched 12 saves on the night.
"Austin had a really good game," Vasquez said. "All four of those goals were either nicely placed shots or off corner kicks. Their coach actually came up to me after the game and said, "Your goalie is playing really well.'
"We just need the offense to help out the defense."
Senior Kevin Noriega had a couple of opportunities on offense, and the Cheesemakers as a team had six shots on goal, Vasquez said. He said that in order to beat a quality team like Oregon, the Cheesemakers will have to get better on offense, especially early in the game.
"We were still in it right up to the 60th minute," Vasquez said. "Early in the game, against a good team like that, we really have to take advantage of that."
Coming off a 5-0 loss Tuesday to Milton in a game that had Vasquez disappointed in the Cheesemakers' energy, Monroe kept hustling throughout the entire game despite being shorthanded, the coach said.
"We had a couple guys sit out, one with a red card and one with an injury, so we were down," Vasquez said. "We knew most of our guys would have to play 90 minutes. So I was very pleased with how they fought for the whole game."
Vasquez said that against a deep, talented team like Oregon, which has skilled players at every position, he was proud of his team's determination to stick together.
"They knew that they weren't going to be able to take breaks when they needed to," he said. "Nobody complained, and we actually ended up getting through everything without getting more injuries.
"We had trouble in the last game getting mentally in the game, but they kept it together and kept playing hard."
In its last home game of the season, Monroe will host Edgewood at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Honey Creek Park.
Monroe lost the game 4-0, but strong defensive play kept the team within a goal for most of the game. The loss drops Monroe to 4-9, 1-3 Badger South.
"They're a very disciplined team. They set up the ball really well," Monroe coach Tony Vasquez said of the Panthers. "We knew it would be a tough game tonight. They're probably the best team we played so far this year."
Vasquez lauded the play of senior goalkeeper Austin Murphy, who notched 12 saves on the night.
"Austin had a really good game," Vasquez said. "All four of those goals were either nicely placed shots or off corner kicks. Their coach actually came up to me after the game and said, "Your goalie is playing really well.'
"We just need the offense to help out the defense."
Senior Kevin Noriega had a couple of opportunities on offense, and the Cheesemakers as a team had six shots on goal, Vasquez said. He said that in order to beat a quality team like Oregon, the Cheesemakers will have to get better on offense, especially early in the game.
"We were still in it right up to the 60th minute," Vasquez said. "Early in the game, against a good team like that, we really have to take advantage of that."
Coming off a 5-0 loss Tuesday to Milton in a game that had Vasquez disappointed in the Cheesemakers' energy, Monroe kept hustling throughout the entire game despite being shorthanded, the coach said.
"We had a couple guys sit out, one with a red card and one with an injury, so we were down," Vasquez said. "We knew most of our guys would have to play 90 minutes. So I was very pleased with how they fought for the whole game."
Vasquez said that against a deep, talented team like Oregon, which has skilled players at every position, he was proud of his team's determination to stick together.
"They knew that they weren't going to be able to take breaks when they needed to," he said. "Nobody complained, and we actually ended up getting through everything without getting more injuries.
"We had trouble in the last game getting mentally in the game, but they kept it together and kept playing hard."
In its last home game of the season, Monroe will host Edgewood at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Honey Creek Park.
