By Jared Schmeltzer
Reporter
On Tuesday, May 22, the Merrill girls soccer team played their final game of the season against Wisconsin Rapids. The Jays put up a good fight against Rapids, however would eventually fall by a score of 4-1.
Rapids got up quick on Merrill, scoring two goals in the first half. The Jays were able to get a response. As head coach Kyle Hahn explains, “we were 2-0 down with less than five minutes left in the first half when Kate Peterson made an awesome crossing run behind Rapids’ defense, just as Mae Litschauer played the ball through. It ended up being a 50-50 ball between Kate, Rapids’ keeper and one of their defenders and Kate got there first, took the ball around them both, and slotted home her first conference goal of the season. The build-up, the ball through, the finish, it was all excellent and a great example of what this team is capable of.”
The second half saw Rapids score two more goals without any answer from the Jays, as the Raiders went on to get the 4-1 win.
“Even though we didn’t win this game, I felt that we played really well,” Hahn said. “We had good composure on the ball and transitioned from defense to attack pretty seamlessly.”
The Merrill girls finished the season with a 0-5-1 conference record with their tie coming against Marshfield.
“Our girls deserve a huge amount of credit for the way they stuck with it this season,” Hahn said. “The weather really put us (and every other spring sport) in a bind, but they didn’t let that deter them from working hard to get better every single day. We’ve got a great group of seniors that will be missed – Mae Litschauer, Renee Moonen, Kate Peterson, Lily Reimann, Hailey Schult and Zoe Slewitzke. They all have played an important role in their time with the girls soccer program and have helped us to continue taking steps forward. We wish them nothing but the very best in their future endeavors and encourage them to come back and visit.”