MONROE - Sugar River junior Aimee Sies didn't need her coach to promise a pizza party as extra motivation against the Monroe girls soccer team on Friday.
Sies had two assists and junior Kalin O'Rourke scored two goals to lead Sugar River to a 4-0 nonconference win over Monroe at a soggy Honey Creek Park.
"It's a big win for us," Sies said. "It's good any time you beat your Green County rival on their home field. It's a big confidence booster for us. We know no team is just going to give it to us. We know we have to come out strong and keep working hard."
Sugar River, ranked fourth in the Division 3 Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association state poll, improved to 8-1. The Raiders also defeated Monroe in the last meeting between the two teams, a 1-0 win in a WIAA Division 3 regional championship game last season.
Monroe (4-4-2) has lost three straight games, and the Cheesemakers have gone four consecutive games without scoring a goal.
"We are in an offensive rut," Monroe coach Kyle Kasten said. "It's like when a baseball player gets in a slump. We just need to score one goal. When we do score a goal we will get the confidence back, and we will start the trend of scoring a lot more like we were earlier this year."
Two of the Cheesemakers' past three losses have come to teams in their sectional - Sugar River and Lodi.
"Sugar River came out ready to play," Kasten said. "We are still dealing with some injuries. We have had to make some adjustments on the fly. I'm really happy with the way the girls mentally and physically prepared for this game. We are learning how to prepare and what it takes to be a successful team."
It didn't take Sugar River long to get on the board. Senior Amber Sies scored on an assist from O'Rourke at 6 minutes, 26 seconds.
Monroe sophomore goalie Anna Latimer, who had 11 saves, made a diving save on a powerful shot from Sugar River senior Esther Noriega in the 16th minute. Noriega's shot was set up off a shot that ricocheted off the top cross bar.
O'Rourke scored a goal on a shot to the far post on a pass from sophomore Elawyn Fong at 37:10 to give the Raiders a 2-0 lead at the half.
"It feels really good," O'Rourke said of the win against the Cheesemakers. "They are our rivals, and we have had a history of beating them. It's good to keep that history going."
The Raiders outshot the Cheesemakers 15-2. Sugar River coach John Ziperski said the Raiders did a good job of moving the ball to create more scoring chances.
"I was really nervous about this game," Ziperski said. "Every game we as coaches are worried. I believe in trends. If we would have lost to Monroe it wouldn't have been the end of the world, but it could have been a start of something I didn't want to see. Monroe is a quality opponent. They will get a vote in our sectional. Playing a couple of games against teams in our sectional and winning them helps put some context to the stats."
Noriega scored a goal on a header off a corner kick by Aimee Sies at 46:40 to give the Raiders a 3-0 lead. O'Rourke scored her second goal on an assist from Aimee Sies at 70:14 to cap the scoring.
While the Raiders were capitalizing on scoring opportunities, Kasten is looking for ways for the Cheesemakers to score more goals.
"We have been working on our passing and first touches," Kasten said. "I thought our first pass was really good. We are not moving off the ball enough and we were standing too much. The first touch is there. The next piece of the puzzle is moving off the ball and creating space so we can set up our team for success."
It won't get any easier for the Cheesemakers. Monroe plays at Oregon on Tuesday. Oregon is ranked third in Division 2. The Cheesemakers then host Madison Edgewood, which is ranked third in Division 3, on May 5 at Honey Creek Park.
"Losing 4-0 to Lodi and Sugar River is disheartening," Kasten said of two teams in Monroe's sectional. "The girls have to keep their heads. They will get there."
Sies had two assists and junior Kalin O'Rourke scored two goals to lead Sugar River to a 4-0 nonconference win over Monroe at a soggy Honey Creek Park.
"It's a big win for us," Sies said. "It's good any time you beat your Green County rival on their home field. It's a big confidence booster for us. We know no team is just going to give it to us. We know we have to come out strong and keep working hard."
Sugar River, ranked fourth in the Division 3 Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association state poll, improved to 8-1. The Raiders also defeated Monroe in the last meeting between the two teams, a 1-0 win in a WIAA Division 3 regional championship game last season.
Monroe (4-4-2) has lost three straight games, and the Cheesemakers have gone four consecutive games without scoring a goal.
"We are in an offensive rut," Monroe coach Kyle Kasten said. "It's like when a baseball player gets in a slump. We just need to score one goal. When we do score a goal we will get the confidence back, and we will start the trend of scoring a lot more like we were earlier this year."
Two of the Cheesemakers' past three losses have come to teams in their sectional - Sugar River and Lodi.
"Sugar River came out ready to play," Kasten said. "We are still dealing with some injuries. We have had to make some adjustments on the fly. I'm really happy with the way the girls mentally and physically prepared for this game. We are learning how to prepare and what it takes to be a successful team."
It didn't take Sugar River long to get on the board. Senior Amber Sies scored on an assist from O'Rourke at 6 minutes, 26 seconds.
Monroe sophomore goalie Anna Latimer, who had 11 saves, made a diving save on a powerful shot from Sugar River senior Esther Noriega in the 16th minute. Noriega's shot was set up off a shot that ricocheted off the top cross bar.
O'Rourke scored a goal on a shot to the far post on a pass from sophomore Elawyn Fong at 37:10 to give the Raiders a 2-0 lead at the half.
"It feels really good," O'Rourke said of the win against the Cheesemakers. "They are our rivals, and we have had a history of beating them. It's good to keep that history going."
The Raiders outshot the Cheesemakers 15-2. Sugar River coach John Ziperski said the Raiders did a good job of moving the ball to create more scoring chances.
"I was really nervous about this game," Ziperski said. "Every game we as coaches are worried. I believe in trends. If we would have lost to Monroe it wouldn't have been the end of the world, but it could have been a start of something I didn't want to see. Monroe is a quality opponent. They will get a vote in our sectional. Playing a couple of games against teams in our sectional and winning them helps put some context to the stats."
Noriega scored a goal on a header off a corner kick by Aimee Sies at 46:40 to give the Raiders a 3-0 lead. O'Rourke scored her second goal on an assist from Aimee Sies at 70:14 to cap the scoring.
While the Raiders were capitalizing on scoring opportunities, Kasten is looking for ways for the Cheesemakers to score more goals.
"We have been working on our passing and first touches," Kasten said. "I thought our first pass was really good. We are not moving off the ball enough and we were standing too much. The first touch is there. The next piece of the puzzle is moving off the ball and creating space so we can set up our team for success."
It won't get any easier for the Cheesemakers. Monroe plays at Oregon on Tuesday. Oregon is ranked third in Division 2. The Cheesemakers then host Madison Edgewood, which is ranked third in Division 3, on May 5 at Honey Creek Park.
"Losing 4-0 to Lodi and Sugar River is disheartening," Kasten said of two teams in Monroe's sectional. "The girls have to keep their heads. They will get there."
