Eagles grounded

It was a season to remember with many accomplished goals and a lot of camaraderie shared on and off the field. But for Sauk Prairie’s boys soccer team, it was one that came to an end on a frigid and snowy night. Luke Schoeneberg’s goal in the 75th minute broke a scoreless tie and the second-ranked and top-seeded host Elkhorn Elks blanked seventh-ranked and fourth-seeded Sauk Prairie, 2-0, in a WIAA Division 2 sectional semifinal last Friday. “The end of the season is always tough,” Sauk Prairie coach Drew Kornish said. “Elkhorn is a great team. I was very happy with the way our guys played.” Elkhorn (21-1-0) advanced to the state tournament with a 2-0 victory over eighth-ranked and second-seeded Oregon (14-7-1) last Saturday night. Meanwhile, Sauk Prairie finished a memorable season with an 18-3-1 record that included a 6-0-1 mark and first-place finish in Badger North Conference play along with a regional championship. The match at Elkhorn was originally scheduled for last Thursday, but was postponed 24 hours due to inclement weather. However, in spite of the delay, conditions weren’t much better due to a steady snowfall, brisk winds and falling temperatures on Friday evening. “It was a unique challenge,” Kornish admitted. “We understand that in Wisconsin, getting to play in the cold and those elements is a badge of honor because that means that you’re still playing at that point in the season. A lot of teams don’t get to play in it. “So we understand it from that standpoint. Towards the end of the game, it started to affect the field a little bit. Guys were slipping around as the snow started to accumulate on the field, which was tough. But that was no excuse for the outcome of the game. Elkhorn was the better team in the second half. They finished their opportunities, and we didn’t. But it was a unique experience, definitely.” Sauk Prairie entered the game with 13 shutouts and had outscored its opponents 80-15. But the Eagles were shutout for just the second time this season and the only time against a state opponent, losing to Lakeview, Minn. 3-0 in a tournament on Sept. 13. “We had the run of play in the first half,” Kornish said. “(Elkhorn) came out a bit stronger in the second half and definitely had the run of play in the second half. “We held them out until the 75th minute, and it took a pretty special goal to beat (goalkeeper) Riley (Jelinek). He was absolutely outstanding for us.” Jelinek finished with eight saves and was a force between the pipes all season behind a stingy defense. Sauk Prairie had played 255 minutes of shutout soccer in the postseason — blanking Westosha Central (6-0) and Baraboo (1-0) in regional play — before Elkhorn finally found the back of the net. The Elks tacked on an insurance goal in the final minutes to literally ice the game on the snow-covered field. That snapped Sauk Prairie’s 12-match winning streak, which included nine shutouts and a goal differential of 54-3 during that span. “They got their second goal as we were pushing for an equalizer,” Kornish said of Elkhorn. “We had numbers forward, and they countered and caught us in a one-on-one situation and had a nice finish.” Kornish said it came down to the Eagles being unable to take advantage of several scoring opportunities. “We had a fairly good opportunity, pretty early on over the top to Simon (Enerson) who was one-on-one with the goalie,” Kornish said. “Their keeper made a nice save down low to his right. We had one of those in the second half as well before they scored. “So we had our opportunities, but were unable to finish those. If we had finished even one of those, the game might have looked a little bit different than how it ended. But again, I was really happy with the effort the guys put in.” As the game progressed, though, Kornish said it became apparent that one goal would be enough to secure a victory and advance to the sectional final match. “It was snowing the entire game,” Kornisch said. “Around the 60th minute the snow started to accumulate on the field. There was a pretty sustained wind. For the most part it was coming across the field rather than end to end, so I don’t think one team had an advantage. “It was played on an industrial turf, a flat bladed bent turf field. That alone plays a little slicker than what a typical turf field plays these days. But then we get the snow on top of it and it becomes very slick. But both teams were on it.” Kornish, who took over as the Eagles’ head coach last spring, said he couldn’t have been any prouder with the way the team performed all season long. “I feel incredibly fortunate to work with the group we worked with this season,” he said. “Having the kind of leadership we had on the team with 11 seniors is a pretty unique opportunity for a coach, especially his first year. “We came together really well. The guys and I worked hand in hand and it was a full team effort to be able to put together the kind of season that we did. The guys reached a majority of their goals this season, which is fantastic. I thought they improved quite a bit as a team overall.” Sauk Prairie will graduate 11 seniors off its varsity roster, including its top two scorers. Co-captain and four-year starter Evan Carlson finished with a team-best 31 goals and 71 points along with nine assists, and Simon Enerson led the team with 11 assists and was second in points (33) and third in goals (11). In addition, the offensive contributions of Caden Pugh (three goals, eight assists, 14 points), Jakob Wilson (six goals, one assists, 13 points), Trent Schneeberger (four goals, one assist, nine points) and Abrahan Castro (4 assists) will be missed. The heart of the Eagles’ stellar defense, which includes co-captain Blake Gibbs, Aaron Frey, Trevor Spray, Austin Werderits and Jelinek, will also needed to be replaced. But junior Joe Baumgardt (five goals, five assists, 15 points), sophomores Quinn Baier (12 goals, seven assists, 31 points), Sam Drescher (six goals, three assists, 15 points) and Eddie Breunig (two goals, four assists, eight points) and Philip Enerson (one goal) and sophomore defender Austin Keyser will return to help the Eagles reload next season. “Throughout the season we had some guys who really stepped up in some big places that caught us pleasantly by surprise,” Kornish said. “Then our younger guys, as well, put in some big minutes for us. That gave us some hope for the future. “Overall, we were really happy with the season they put in. We were disappointed with the way it ended. Unless you’re the state champ, everyone is going to be disappointed with the way their season ends, especially in soccer when everyone makes the playoffs.” Nov. 1 Sectional semifinal Elkhorn 2, Sauk Prairie 0 Sauk Prairie …....…… 0 0 – 0 Elkhorn ……....…....... 0 2 – 2 Second half: E – Luke Schoeneberg, 75:00; Ariel Mora, N/A. Saves: SP (Riley Jelinek) 8; E (Preston Ward) N/A.