Middleton, Verona tune up with a tie
MIDDLETON -- It wouldn't have been out of line for those involved to walk off the field shaking their heads Thursday night, maybe not as much for the result as for how it was achieved.
A pair of fluky goals, including a Verona equalizer with less than five minutes left in regulation, sent the Wildcats and Middleton to a 1-1 draw in an important late-season girls soccer tune-up between conference champions.
Verona, ranked 10th in Division 1 by the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association, had the better chances and kept pressure on Middleton's heralded defense throughout, but it played down a goal for more than 15 minutes in the second half.
That was only because a harmless-looking cross by Middleton's Sara Otto got away from Verona goalkeeper Tory Nestler, giving Alice Bechtol a shot at an open net.
"I was just sick to my stomach after their goal," Wildcats coach Matt Heilman said. "We just gift-wrapped it for them, and after how hard we worked tonight, I didn't want to hand them that. And I was really proud of the girls and the way they battled back."
No. 4 Middleton failed to hold onto a lead for the first time, and three days after allowing its first goal of the season, it conceded another in odd fashion.
Alex Melin's 76th-minute corner kick from the left side glanced off Middleton midfielder Kate Kennelly's head at the near post and flew back into the goal.
"I can't say ours was a mistake because Kate was just trying to clear it," Cardinals coach Ken Burghy said. "As a matter of fact, I had sent Kennelly to the near post just before that. Had I not done that, (goalkeeper) Lauren (Gunderson) would have had it."
Verona's goal came right after one of a number of key saves by Gunderson. The University of Wisconsin recruit had to jump to tip freshman Abby Juzwik's perfectly placed free kick from the center circle over the crossbar.
Gunderson did it again in the final 15 seconds of regulation on another Juzwik free kick, this one from about 30 yards out. The senior also tipped a Jaclyn Cropp shot over the crossbar in the first half.
"Lauren has mad hops," Bechtol said. "She's so calm and she's so collected when she plays. It's just like, 'Yeah, Lauren's got that.'"
Despite allowing only her second goal of the season -- she has played 1,225 minutes -- Gunderson made 10 saves. Through the first 15 games, she had been called on to make 50 saves.
Both sides viewed the potential tournament preview as important for playoff preparations with WIAA play a week away.
Verona (10-4-2), the Badger South Conference champion, had lost two of its last four games.
"It definitely gives us a lot of confidence before going into the tournament," Cropp said. "And that's probably the biggest thing right now, that we need to get our confidence back."
Heilman was encouraged by the Wildcats' possession Thursday and how they turned it into dangerous chances.
"It's just nice to play good competition heading into the playoffs," said Heilman, whose team closes the regular season today at home against defending Division 1 state champion Mequon Homestead. "I gave us an extremely difficult schedule this year to get us ready for the playoffs. Having a nice, tough opponent before playoffs, to me, is better than coasting in because then we're game ready come playoff time. Because we have a killer regional, and you've got to be ready for anything."
Perhaps even a rematch with Big Eight Conference champ Middleton (13-0-3). Depending on how the regional seeds come out after this weekend's seeding meetings, the Cardinals and the Wildcats could meet in a regional final game next week Saturday.
Burghy said he thought Thursday's game would be a valuable one for his team.
"I wish we hadn't gone 100 minutes when we've got three more games coming up, but playing a game like this has got to make us better," he said. "And I think the second half, it did make us better. We had some players that really picked it up. Our starting center (midfielders) kind of gave it up in the first half, so they sat out quite a bit. The second half they kind of got the message."
The Cardinals coach is still concerned about a lack of support for Sammy Vovos that has left the senior striker trying to take on two and three defenders by herself.
Middleton has games at the Cedarburg Tournament today and Saturday to iron things out.
"Hopefully it'll make us a lot better," Burghy said, "because we need to get a lot better."
Verona 0 1 0 0 -- 1
Middleton 0 1 0 0 -- 1
Second half: M -- Bechtol (Otto), 59:12; V -- Melin, 75:21.
Saves: V (Nestler) 7; M (Gunderson) 10.
