MONROE - Senior midfielder Jesse Keizer couldn't forget the golden scoring opportunity he had in the second half against Sauk Prairie on Thursday at Honey Creek Park.
With Sauk Prairie clinging to a 1-0 lead, Keizer powered a shot on goal after senior Corey Flannery's cross in the 75th minute. But Sauk Prairie goalkeeper Christian Flores stepped in front and made a stellar save, and the Eagles held on to hand the Cheesemakers their first loss, 2-0.
"I saw it coming across and I knew I would hit it," Keizer said. "I didn't think clearly. I kicked it right at the keeper. I was a little bit frustrated."
It was a game of missed opportunities for Monroe which dropped to 3-1, 1-0 Badger South. The Cheesemakers out-shot the Eagles 13-7.
"We need to keep our shots down," Keizer said. "I know I missed a few. We just need to pass it around a little more and not take wild shots."
Monroe coach Tony Vasquez understands that the Cheesemakers need to keep working to finish shots.
"We had a lot of missed opportunities," Vasquez said. "This is something that we have had trouble with. We have to finish it.
"If we are going to play a high-pressure type of offense, we have to finish and make people pay for their mistakes. If we don't, it's a lot of running for no reason."
After playing to a scoreless first half, Sauk Prairie's Jacob Fiene scored at 42 minutes, 10 seconds. It was the first goal allowed by the Cheesemakers this season, snapping a streak of three straight shutouts.
"When they got that first goal it changed the game," Vasquez said. "We tried to make it an important point to get out to a good start. In the beginning, we were beating them to the ball. When they got that goal, they played with more of a boost of energy."
Monroe sophomore Seth Calaway played the entire 80 minutes as a defender. Even though the Cheesemakers lost their shutout streak, Vasquez was satisfied with the defense.
"I was still happy with our defense," Vasquez said. "There is so much on their shoulders when the offense doesn't carry their share. It's hard for them to be out there for 80 minutes and not get much of a break."
The Cheesemakers had four corner kicks in the first half and nine shots on goal in the second half, but couldn't generate a goal. Flannery had a header on Blake Duffy's cross in the 41st minute. Junior Taylor Teasdale had a header opportunity off a direct kick in the 44th minute and junior Matt Hodgson had a shot that came off a corner kick in the 51st minute that Flores turned away.
Flores, who had seven saves, also batted away Flannery's direct kick in the 60th minute. The Eagles caught a break when Andrew Meng scored a goal that deflected off a Monroe player at 76:48 to seal the win. Monroe senior goalkeeper Lucas Koch had two saves. With the win, Sauk Prairie improves to 3-2-1.
"We are trying to keep our shots down," Vasquez said. "We have to be confident and relaxed so we can finish them when we have the opportunity."
With Sauk Prairie clinging to a 1-0 lead, Keizer powered a shot on goal after senior Corey Flannery's cross in the 75th minute. But Sauk Prairie goalkeeper Christian Flores stepped in front and made a stellar save, and the Eagles held on to hand the Cheesemakers their first loss, 2-0.
"I saw it coming across and I knew I would hit it," Keizer said. "I didn't think clearly. I kicked it right at the keeper. I was a little bit frustrated."
It was a game of missed opportunities for Monroe which dropped to 3-1, 1-0 Badger South. The Cheesemakers out-shot the Eagles 13-7.
"We need to keep our shots down," Keizer said. "I know I missed a few. We just need to pass it around a little more and not take wild shots."
Monroe coach Tony Vasquez understands that the Cheesemakers need to keep working to finish shots.
"We had a lot of missed opportunities," Vasquez said. "This is something that we have had trouble with. We have to finish it.
"If we are going to play a high-pressure type of offense, we have to finish and make people pay for their mistakes. If we don't, it's a lot of running for no reason."
After playing to a scoreless first half, Sauk Prairie's Jacob Fiene scored at 42 minutes, 10 seconds. It was the first goal allowed by the Cheesemakers this season, snapping a streak of three straight shutouts.
"When they got that first goal it changed the game," Vasquez said. "We tried to make it an important point to get out to a good start. In the beginning, we were beating them to the ball. When they got that goal, they played with more of a boost of energy."
Monroe sophomore Seth Calaway played the entire 80 minutes as a defender. Even though the Cheesemakers lost their shutout streak, Vasquez was satisfied with the defense.
"I was still happy with our defense," Vasquez said. "There is so much on their shoulders when the offense doesn't carry their share. It's hard for them to be out there for 80 minutes and not get much of a break."
The Cheesemakers had four corner kicks in the first half and nine shots on goal in the second half, but couldn't generate a goal. Flannery had a header on Blake Duffy's cross in the 41st minute. Junior Taylor Teasdale had a header opportunity off a direct kick in the 44th minute and junior Matt Hodgson had a shot that came off a corner kick in the 51st minute that Flores turned away.
Flores, who had seven saves, also batted away Flannery's direct kick in the 60th minute. The Eagles caught a break when Andrew Meng scored a goal that deflected off a Monroe player at 76:48 to seal the win. Monroe senior goalkeeper Lucas Koch had two saves. With the win, Sauk Prairie improves to 3-2-1.
"We are trying to keep our shots down," Vasquez said. "We have to be confident and relaxed so we can finish them when we have the opportunity."
