Revenge exacted two years later

It was two years ago, but the Cedar Grove-Belgium High School girls’ soccer team didn’t need to consult with an elephant to remember what happened against Kohler.

The Blue Bombers ended the Rockets’ season in 2019, a 2-1 heartbreaker in a sectional semifinal.

“Girls had been talking about it,” coach Zac Garza said.

“Our girls were hungry. They were definitely hungry. You could see it, in particular in the second half of that game. There was rarely a moment where Kohler could make their way out of their half.”

The Rockets won, 1-0, on the road on May 11 after spending most of the first half adjusting to Kohler’s turf field.

“You could definitely tell our touches were off. By the time the second half rolled around, we had figured it out,” Garza said.

Sophomore forward Alexis Bahr scored in the 55th minute on an assist by freshman forward Hailey Prom.

Passing the ball through the midfield, the ball came to Prom, who Garza said beat her defender out wide and played a cross to Bahr, who finished with her left foot across the goal from about 15 yards out.

The team should have scored more, Garza said. The Rockets outshot Kohler, 25-5.

“Our defense was fantastic. Brooke (Braga, goalkeeper) was rarely troubled,” he said.

Sophomore wing Grace Gauger stood out after moving to right back for the second half and winning one-on-one match-ups to move the ball forward.

“She was just phenomenal. She has spoken to me in the past about being unsure of herself back there. There was no showing of that,” Garza said. “That speaks a lot about how far she has come.”

Senior defender Cheyenne Simonet “saved our tails” late in the game when the Blue Bombers were pushing, he said.

“Her speed is just so impressive and the way she is able to close these attackers down,” Garza said.

Senior center midfielder Payton Navis, he said, did a good job controlling the midfield.

“She’s just so composed. It doesn’t matter if there are one, two or three people defending her, she will find a way for our team to keep the ball,” Garza said.

Last Thursday at home against Sheboygan Lutheran/Christian, the Rockets left no doubt in an 8-0 destruction.

Prom had a hat trick, senior center midfielder Madison Bohacek scored twice and Gauger, Bahr and junior forward Genesis Ciske each had one.

Prom had two assists, and Navis, Bahr, Bohacek and junior defender Lizzie Luebke each had one.

“This was the response I was looking for from our group, finally scoring some goals, fixing that percentage,” Garza said.

A couple of highlights included Gauger’s score, the result of “fantastic, one-touch soccer,” Garza said. The ball started in back and multiple passes sent it from Prom to Gauger, who finished from 18 yards out to the right corner.

On Prom’s second goal, she played the ball out wide 35 yards away.

“In this position they always hear me saying there’s no shot there,” Garza said. “She had no options and she cranked one to the upper left corner, side netting — one of the best placed shots you will see.”

On defense, he said, senior center back defender Alyssa Mentink did a good job marking Maddy Zylstra, a top player.

This week, the Rockets (4-0) are finding out how good they are. On Tuesday, they played at regular powerhouse Oostburg (2-1 in the Big East Conference, 2-3-1 overall) and on Thursday they play at another favorite to win the conference, St. Mary Catholic (3-0, 5-0-1).

“This will tell us a lot about the credentials of this team and what we hope to achieve this season,” Garza said.

Ozaukee looks to break into the win column

Ozaukee (0-3) is looking for its first victory of the season under new coach Kaylie Kraus.

The Warriors lost at Howards Grove, 9-0, on May 11 and to Oostburg, 4-0, last Thursday.

The game against the Flying Dutchmen could have been much worse if it wasn’t for freshman goalkeeper Izzy Decker.

“Last game alone she had 30 saves,” Kraus said. “I’m very proud.”

The offense, she said, has to get over a mental hurdle more than a physical one.

“I think that our girls just need to overcome their fear of missing a shot,” Kraus said. “Our girls can shoot. I can tell that when they get near the goal they give it away for someone else to take the shot.”

The team is reaching some of the objectives Kraus sets for each game.

The Warriors, with 16 players on the roster, are battling a half dozen injuries, some of which players are fighting through.

Morale, however, remains healthy.

“We’re sticking together as a team,” Kraus said.

Ozaukee (0-3) was to play at Random Lake (1-3) on Tuesday, at Sheboygan Lutheran/Christian (4-2) on Thursday and at Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah (3-4-1) on Tuesday, May 25.