TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
Merrill Bluejay Girls played their third soccer game of the season against Rhinelander on Saturday, May 8. The home field advantage didn’t help the girls put up any points on the scoreboard, but it did help them keep Rhinelander from scoring big. In the end, they lost against Rhinelander but only by two points, the only two points scored in the entire game. Merrill 0, Rhinelander 2. One point was scored in each half of the game. Merrill took 3 shots on goal, while Rhinelander put up 27. Rhinelander had 3 corner kicks with none for Merrill. Merrill did have one foul and Rhinelander had none. And Vanessa Bayer made 25 saves for Merrill, while Rhinelander had 3.
“While we didn’t get into the win column, this was a competitive game throughout,” Coach Kyle Hahn said. ”Our girls battled hard, dealing with a lot of fatigue from playing two games earlier in the week. Rhinelander’s first goal came off a PK shortly before halftime. Even though we ended the half down a goal, our girls knew we were still in it and came out for the second half with renewed intensity. The second half was just as much a battle as the first; the game seemed to go from end to end. Around the 70-minute mark, we got a bit stretched defensively, and Rhinelander capitalized by scoring their second goal of the game. I give our girls a lot of credit, though; even at two goals down, they never gave up and kept pushing their limits until the final whistle. Vanessa Bayer continues to be a key player for us, recording 25 saves when all was said and done.”
Box Score
Rhinelander 2
@
Merrill 0
The Bluejay Girls played their second game at Marshfield on Thursday, May 6, losing to Marshfield by 6 points. Final score: Merrill 1, Marshfield 7. Four goals were scored in each half of the game. Merrill had 2 shots on goal compared to Marshfield’s 26 and Merrill got off 1 corner kick while Marshfield had 6. On the other hand, Merrill had zero fouls while Marshfield had 3, and Vanessa Bayer of Merrill made 19 saves with Marshfield making only 1.
“I’d say this was a reversal of Tuesday’s game against West,” Coach Hahn said. “We had a pretty good first half against Marshfield, followed by a bit of a let down in the second half. McKenna Smith got us on the board first by converting a PK opportunity about 10 minutes in. We gave up three unanswered goals before half, but were playing well and holding our own. Marshfield seemed to up the ante with four goals in a 20-minute stretch to start the second half and kept us from getting anything going in our attacking half. A bit tougher to swallow compared with Tuesday’s result, but a lot to learn from and take with us as we move forward in this crazy condensed season.”
Box Score
Merrill 1
@
Marshfield 7
On Tuesday, May 4, the Merrill Bluejay girls kicked off their soccer season against Wausau West at home. Final score: Merrill 1, Wausau West 6. Four goals were scored in the first half and three in the second, with Merrill Girls getting their goal in the second half. Merrill had one shot on goal, while Wausau West took 35; Wausau West made 3 corner kicks, while Merrill made 1. Merrill had 1 foul to Wausau West’s 3, while Vanessa Bayer made 29 saves compared to Wausau West just 1.
“A tough first half, followed by an improved second half,” Coach Hahn said. “Our group hadn’t played a competitive varsity game since Spring 2019, and this was the first Varsity game for a handful of the girls. Wausau West is a much improved team, and we struggled to match their pace and intensity in the opening minutes. As the game wore on, we looked a little more comfortable, and our communication from front to back was much better. Vanessa Bayer started her first game-in goal ever and came up big with 29 saves. She clearly kept us in the game and helped keep things from getting entirely out of hand. Rebecca Rell also notched her first varsity goal via a PK in the second half. We had a stretch of good build-up play prior and she made a good move to get into the box before being fouled. It would’ve been easy to understand nerves taking over, but she finished her chance cool as you like and got us on the board.”
Box Score
Wausau West 6
@
Merrill 1