Jacy Zollar, sports@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Jacy Zollar Shawano Community High School senior Dylan Mastrodonato passes the ball during the first half of Thursday’s 3-0 loss at Clintonville.
Leader Photo by Jacy Zollar Shawano Community High School junior Cesar Ramirez takes a corner kick during the first half of Thursday’s 3-0 loss at Clintonville.
The Shawano boys soccer team gave up three goals in a shutout loss at Clintonville on Thursday.
Clintonville didn’t score its first goal until the 30th minute, when midfielder Matthew Morse sent the ball through goalkeeper Will Bergner’s arms, but the Truckers controlled the ball from the start.
The Hawks (0-1-1) struggled to maintain possession, which allowed Clintonville to keep the momentum throughout the game.
Hawks head coach Bob Croschere emphasized his team needs to work on offense.
“Everything is a learning experience at this point,” he said. “We learned tonight that we need to work on offensive possession.”
With five of its 11 starters out due to injury, Shawano’s focus will be on giving the younger guys experience.
“We have a young team. Hopefully once we get a couple of the other players back things will turn around a little more, but it’s a good learning experience for these guys,” Croschere said.
For Clintonville (1-1-0), the victory was especially exciting.
“We haven’t beat Shawano in about 10 years, so this felt good to win,” Clintonville head coach Roger Lupien said. “Shawano always plays us tough. This is always a game that we look forward to and dread at the same time, because we’re so close.”
The Truckers played strong on both sides of the ball. Their keeper, Seth Betz, was only forced to make two saves.
Bergner, on the other hand, saw much more action with 11 saves.
The second goal came with 2:00 left in the first period by forward Nick Shoen, assisted by Morse. Forward Kevin Ramirez found the net for the Truckers’ final goal in the 52nd minute.
“We played a lot quicker and with much more control tonight,” Lupien said. “We worked on speed and some passing that didn’t work Tuesday, and tonight they utilized it.”
Because of the Hawks’ injuries, Croschere’s goal for the regular season is to focus on the younger players learning their positions and getting better.
“But ultimately, we want to get everybody back, get everything fixed and make a run in the playoffs,” Croschere said.