Klitzke and Klitzke give Shawano soccer reason for optimism

A good indicator of the resiliency of the Shawano Community High School girls soccer team last season was in evidence during a two-week stretch that began with the Hawks on the business end of a 10-0 pasting, compliments of Neenah in their April 17 season opener.

How does a team bounce back from a loss like that? How about with a 10-0 victory of its own, as was the case when Shawano regrouped and pounded Iron Mountain on May 2.

That the Hawks pulled it together in time to make a run at a Bay Conference championship is a matter of record. Shawano’s 13-7-1 mark of a year ago included 7-2-1 in the conference, where they finished third in the regular season, three points behind first-place West De Pere, and then second in the conference tournament.

With the prolific scoring duo of junior forwards Morgan Klitzke and Megan Klitzke back on the pitch, there are high hopes that this year could yield even more excitement than last.

Morgan Klitzke had 14 goals and 10 assists, and Megan Klitzke had 13 goals. Their combined 27 goals scored accounted for almost half of the 64 tallies that Shawano put on the board last year.

Beginning with a 5-0 win over Green Bay West at the Wausau West Tournament early last May, the Hawks began a hot streak where they lost only two of their next 15 games. Included in that run was a 2-1 win over powerful New London and a scoreless tie with West De Pere.

“We’ve got quite a few back from last year when we finished second, so we should compete for a conference title again this year,” Shawano coach Bob Croschere said.

The Hawks’ losses to graduation were considerable. Midfielders Lindsey McFarlane and Shania O’Kimosh and defenders Haley Going, Peyton Going, Kaitlin Phillips-Grassi, Mercedes Bayless and Libby Buettner all played their last game in the 2-1 regional loss to Marshfieldin June.

With the Klitzke sisters back, though, the Hawks have their guns poised for action. Sophomore goalkeeper Carlie Hinnefeld is back in net for Shawano, and senior midfielder Louisa Keenan, junior midfielder Sarah Dickmann and sophomore defenseman Colleen McFarlane also return.