BELLEVILLE - Sugar River junior Kevin Zimmerman had a golden opportunity to play hero in crunch time after Monroe was called for a sliding tackle foul and got caught scrambling.
Zimmerman scored the game-winning goal in the 75th minute on a direct kick to give Sugar River a thrilling 3-2 win over Monroe Monday.
"As soon as I kicked it, I thought it was over the goal," said Zimmerman, who scored two goals. "It was a half a second of panic. I was really pumped about it."
After the foul, Zimmerman went right up to the ball and booted it into the back of the net as the Cheesemakers were setting up for the direct kick.
"Once the whistle blows if you don't ask for 10 yards and a wall to be set up you can go right away," Sugar River coach Jake Ziehr said. "He recognized Monroe was scrambling and the goalkeeper was out of position and he took it right away. He (Zimmerman) was not trying to pull a fast one. He must not have asked for 10 yards and a wall. It was a good decision."
Monroe (4-11, 1-4 Badger South) had three chances in the final 45 seconds with a shot by Ryne Miller and two corner kicks that just came up short.
"It may have been a fatigue type of thing," Monroe coach Tony Vasquez said of the direct kick Zimmerman scored on. "We just talked about direct kicks and setting up walls in practice. You have to keep one eye on the ball. They were a little slow trying to understand what was going on. Nobody was ready for that.
"I think they (Monroe) played really hard. They gave themselves a chance to be in position. They really wanted it. We really just made two mistakes. They capitalized on our mistakes."
Early on, the rivalry game had the makings of one that would come down to the wire. It was a defensive battle in the first half. Sugar River's Nehemiah Noriega scored a goal from about 25 yards out at 41:29. Just 12 seconds later, Noriega's cousin, Kevin Noriega tied the game with a breakaway goal to tie the game at 1. Despite out-shooting the Cheesemakers 16-4 in the first half, the Raiders (12-8-1) and Cheesemakers were tied at 1 at the half.
"We only had two subs and had one player sick," Vasquez said. "I was really happy with their effort. They (Sugar River) are a fast-paced team."
The Cheesemakers took a 2-1 lead when Matt Coplien used his back to score a goal at 57:59 that came off of junior McKenzy Foley's direct kick from midfield that he put on the goal.
"It was good momentum," Coplien said. "It just shows that our game is the set pieces. We feel like any time we have a corner kick, direct kick or penalty kick we can score. It was really nice to convert that opportunity. McKenzy has a strong leg. Last year we had Taylor (Teasdale) and this year we have McKenzy. There are not many teams with someone who has as strong of a leg than McKenzy's."
Coplien understands the Cheesemakers can still be a dangerous team when it comes time for the tournament. Monroe received a No. 5 regional seed and will play at Platteville in the regional opener Tuesday, Oct. 14.
"We usually come out dead the first five minutes of the second half," Coplien said. "We talked about coming out strong and not playing dead in the second half. If we eliminate the mistakes, the sky is the limit."
Zimmerman scored his first goal on a through ball at 62:06 that just went off of Monroe senior goalkeeper Austin Murphy and bounced into an empty net. Murphy finished with a game-high 15 saves and Sugar River goalkeeper Cullen Denny had nine saves.
"Monroe is a solid team," Ziehr said. "If we had played Monroe earlier I think I would have seeded them higher than fifth (for the regional). I think they deserve a No. 4."
Both teams had several scoring opportunities that went awry. Zimmerman had a shot ricochet off the top cross bar in the third minute of the game. Kevin Noriega had a shot slam off the far post in the 21st minute that came inches away from giving the Cheesemakers an early lead. Sugar River's Lukas Diaz had a shot glance off the near post in the 34th minute.
Monroe junior Niven Tomasiewicz just missed a shot at the near post in front of the goal in the 48th minute. Tomasiewicz also had a strong shot that caromed off the corner of the near post in the 53rd minute.
"I'm just glad some of our shots finally dropped in after we hit the post so many times," Ziehr said.
Sugar River received a No. 3 regional seed and is on the opposite side of the regional bracket than the fifth-seeded Cheesemakers. The Cheesemakers and Raiders could face each other again if they both make a run to the WIAA Division 2 sectional semifinals.
The Raiders trail Lodi by one game and are still mathematically alive to share a Capitol Conference championship. Sugar River will have to beat Wisconsin Dells and they will need some help. The Raiders will need a win and will have to hope that Lakeside Lutheran knocks off Lodi, and then there will be a three-way tie for the conference title.
"Winning conference was our first goal," Ziehr said. "After we lost to Wisconsin Heights we talked about what we can still do to have success and developing players. We are focusing on what we can take care of. We have to take care of our business first."
Zimmerman scored the game-winning goal in the 75th minute on a direct kick to give Sugar River a thrilling 3-2 win over Monroe Monday.
"As soon as I kicked it, I thought it was over the goal," said Zimmerman, who scored two goals. "It was a half a second of panic. I was really pumped about it."
After the foul, Zimmerman went right up to the ball and booted it into the back of the net as the Cheesemakers were setting up for the direct kick.
"Once the whistle blows if you don't ask for 10 yards and a wall to be set up you can go right away," Sugar River coach Jake Ziehr said. "He recognized Monroe was scrambling and the goalkeeper was out of position and he took it right away. He (Zimmerman) was not trying to pull a fast one. He must not have asked for 10 yards and a wall. It was a good decision."
Monroe (4-11, 1-4 Badger South) had three chances in the final 45 seconds with a shot by Ryne Miller and two corner kicks that just came up short.
"It may have been a fatigue type of thing," Monroe coach Tony Vasquez said of the direct kick Zimmerman scored on. "We just talked about direct kicks and setting up walls in practice. You have to keep one eye on the ball. They were a little slow trying to understand what was going on. Nobody was ready for that.
"I think they (Monroe) played really hard. They gave themselves a chance to be in position. They really wanted it. We really just made two mistakes. They capitalized on our mistakes."
Early on, the rivalry game had the makings of one that would come down to the wire. It was a defensive battle in the first half. Sugar River's Nehemiah Noriega scored a goal from about 25 yards out at 41:29. Just 12 seconds later, Noriega's cousin, Kevin Noriega tied the game with a breakaway goal to tie the game at 1. Despite out-shooting the Cheesemakers 16-4 in the first half, the Raiders (12-8-1) and Cheesemakers were tied at 1 at the half.
"We only had two subs and had one player sick," Vasquez said. "I was really happy with their effort. They (Sugar River) are a fast-paced team."
The Cheesemakers took a 2-1 lead when Matt Coplien used his back to score a goal at 57:59 that came off of junior McKenzy Foley's direct kick from midfield that he put on the goal.
"It was good momentum," Coplien said. "It just shows that our game is the set pieces. We feel like any time we have a corner kick, direct kick or penalty kick we can score. It was really nice to convert that opportunity. McKenzy has a strong leg. Last year we had Taylor (Teasdale) and this year we have McKenzy. There are not many teams with someone who has as strong of a leg than McKenzy's."
Coplien understands the Cheesemakers can still be a dangerous team when it comes time for the tournament. Monroe received a No. 5 regional seed and will play at Platteville in the regional opener Tuesday, Oct. 14.
"We usually come out dead the first five minutes of the second half," Coplien said. "We talked about coming out strong and not playing dead in the second half. If we eliminate the mistakes, the sky is the limit."
Zimmerman scored his first goal on a through ball at 62:06 that just went off of Monroe senior goalkeeper Austin Murphy and bounced into an empty net. Murphy finished with a game-high 15 saves and Sugar River goalkeeper Cullen Denny had nine saves.
"Monroe is a solid team," Ziehr said. "If we had played Monroe earlier I think I would have seeded them higher than fifth (for the regional). I think they deserve a No. 4."
Both teams had several scoring opportunities that went awry. Zimmerman had a shot ricochet off the top cross bar in the third minute of the game. Kevin Noriega had a shot slam off the far post in the 21st minute that came inches away from giving the Cheesemakers an early lead. Sugar River's Lukas Diaz had a shot glance off the near post in the 34th minute.
Monroe junior Niven Tomasiewicz just missed a shot at the near post in front of the goal in the 48th minute. Tomasiewicz also had a strong shot that caromed off the corner of the near post in the 53rd minute.
"I'm just glad some of our shots finally dropped in after we hit the post so many times," Ziehr said.
Sugar River received a No. 3 regional seed and is on the opposite side of the regional bracket than the fifth-seeded Cheesemakers. The Cheesemakers and Raiders could face each other again if they both make a run to the WIAA Division 2 sectional semifinals.
The Raiders trail Lodi by one game and are still mathematically alive to share a Capitol Conference championship. Sugar River will have to beat Wisconsin Dells and they will need some help. The Raiders will need a win and will have to hope that Lakeside Lutheran knocks off Lodi, and then there will be a three-way tie for the conference title.
"Winning conference was our first goal," Ziehr said. "After we lost to Wisconsin Heights we talked about what we can still do to have success and developing players. We are focusing on what we can take care of. We have to take care of our business first."
