It’s goals by committee for CG-B soccer

Canceling last year’s high school spring sports due to the Covid-19 pandemic hurt the Cedar Grove-Belgium girls’ soccer team as much as anyone, but the Rockets are off to a good start again this season.

In 2019, one year after losing the state title game in a heartbreaker, the Rockets went undefeated in the Big East Conference before being upset in the playoffs by Kohler.

Junior Abby Kraus set the school’s single-season record for goals with 34 and was fewer than 10 from the career record. She was named the Big East Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year. Fellow junior Shelby

Cooney was the Defensive Player of the Year, and Kelsey Lukens and Brooke Braga were named to the Big East first team.

Of those, Braga is the only one who hasn’t graduated. She runs the defense at goalkeeper and is one of three team captains.

New coach Zac Garza had to wait a year to take over for his father Elias, and the younger Garza admits he didn’t know what to expect this season. Of 26 players, six are seniors and five are juniors.

Replacing Kraus was the biggest task, and no one player will do it, he said.

“I genuinely feel this team is going to be about the collective,” Garza said.

Sophomore Alexis Bahr and freshman Hailey Prom are expected to handle some of the scoring.

Experience lies in the midfield and on defense, two more sources for goals.

“That’s what we’re going to rely on. I couldn’t tell you who our leading goal scorers are going to be,” Garza said.

Senior defender Alyssa Mentink is comfortable with the ball and gives a different look to the Rockets’ defense.

“She takes free kicks. She’s a danger from the back,” Garza said.

Senior defender Cheyenne Simonet, he said, is “feisty, extremely quick and extremely aggressive.” She is one of three team captains.

Junior defender Lizzie Luebke provides more experience and solidity.

“This is my probably the most balanced defense, in my opinion, that we’ve had since we’ve taken over,” Garza said of him and his father leading the program.

Senior Payton Navis, another captain, is playing center midfield.

“Her engine in incredible. She’ll run for days. She’s extremely aggressive, loves to win the ball back,” Garza said.

Fellow senior center midfielder Madison Bohacek is “a goal threat from midfield,” he said, and senior center midfielder Emilie Beaudry provides experience.

Junior wing player Ashley Acevedo “has worked extremely hard to add offensive qualities to her game” after moving up from playing the back on defense, Garza said.

The Rockets won their first two games, first beating rival Random Lake at home on May 4, 4-1.

Avevedo, Boahcek, Bahr and Prom each scored a goal. Bahr, Bohacek, Prom and Navis each had an assist.

The game was tied at one point and was 3-1 at halftime. The Rams’ score was a Rockets’ own goal.

The Rockets had 28 shots. Garza said he wants to see more land in the net.

Braga had three saves.

“Full credit to Random Lake for battling for the 90 minutes. They made us work extremely hard for the victory,” Garza said.

The Rockets demolished University School of Milwaukee at home on Friday, 10-1.

Garza said he didn’t know what to expect since USM had beaten Kenosha Christian Life, 14-0.

“Our team just came to play. It was one of the finer performances a Cedar Grove group put in,” he said.

Bahr scored three times and Prom and junior Genesis Ciske twice each. Bohacek, sophomore winger Grace Gauger and freshman defender Elena Engevold each had one goal.

Bahr, Acevedo and Siske each had two assists. Junior defender Faith Schieffer, Bohacek, Navis and Luebke each had one.

Braga made five saves.

It was 4-0 at halftime.

Garza is pleased with his team’s attitude.

“This group really came in hungry and ready to work and they knew the opportunity that we lost out on last year, and I think it’s the intention of everybody on this squad to basically play like it’s their last season because now we have that lesson,” Garza said.
“You just never know when that last game could come.”
Garza said he hopes to be in the mix for the Big East title. Oostburg and St. Mary Catholic have strong programs, and Kohler and Howards Grove always have good athletes, he said.
Garza also wants to earn a fourth straight regional title.
“After that, we’ll see what type of performances this group turns out,” he said.
The Rockets were to play at Kohler on Tuesday, host Sheboygan Lutheran at 6 p.m. Thursday and play at Oostburg at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18.
Small Ozaukee team builds experience
Ozaukee started the season with a 6-2 loss to Kohler on May 4.
Junior Madalyn Gaulke and senior Grace Tinder scored the Warriors’ goals.

It was 3-2 at halftime, then before Kohler added three goals in the second half.

“We still need some practice. It was pretty clear that it was the first time the girls were playing together,” first-year coach Kaylie Kraus said.

Kraus, who graduated from Ozaukee High in 2019, played with some of the current Warriors and is looking to build the program.

Ozaukee has 16 players in the program — not enough for a varsity and a junior varsity team.

Tinder can play any position and is expected to be one of the team’s leading scorers, Kraus said.

“Grace is super aggressive on the field,” she said.

Freshman Meredith Clark will score from her outside midfield spot.

“Meredith is really good at crossing the ball. She can slide it pretty good,” Kraus said.

On defense, freshman Caitlyn Weyker is playing sweeper or middle defender.

“She is not scared of who she is competing against, and she always tries to be first to the ball,” Kraus said.

Sophomore Evelyn Geis can play all positions on defense, but is often the sweeper.

“She has a really strong leg so she’s not afraid of clearing the ball,” Kraus said.

Goalkeeper duties may be shared by Geis and freshman Izzy Decker.

The lineup is a work in progress.

“Since we don’t have many girls on the team we have to switch girls around a lot so no one gets tired,” Kraus said.

One of the goals early in the season is to have some fun and enjoy playing soccer.

“Some haven’t played or haven’t played since middle school,” Kraus said. “We just want to have the girls get really passionate about soccer.”

The Warriors were to play at Howards Grove on Tuesday, host Oostburg at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, play in a Kiel tournament on Saturday and play at Random Lake on Tuesday, May 18.