RLO’s record keeps improving as its roster keeps shrinking

The Random Lake/Ozaukee high school girls’ soccer team keeps losing players but winning games.

Already down all-conference defender Chloe Dybul to a season-ending knee injury, RLO lost two more players in an 8-0 clinic over visiting Kohler on April 28.

“It was parents/mentor night for RLO and they were all treated to probably the best game I’ve seen these girls play this season up to this point. It was a complete team win,” coach Matt Wilson said.

Mya Schroeder scored three times and Mia Evraets twice. Lexi Wilson, Faith Wilson and Lexi Gruman each scored once.

Schroeder, Gruman and Evraets each had two assists, and Addison Brody had one. RLO had 34 shots on goal.

Keeper Emily O’Keefe, filling in for injured Bianca Marini, had seven saves

“It was another dominating performance by our back line of Addison Kurlinski, Abby Depies, Savannah Quade and Emily Tinder. Ashlyn Schubert came in off the bench and offered great support in relief also,” Wilson said. “They kept our half of the field clean all night and really supported our midfielders with drop options and switching the field.”

On offense, “Once again the RLO girls showed that they have the ability to strike from anywhere if someone is left unmarked,” Wilson said.

RLO lost Hailey Weibelhaus to a back injury and Marissa Ter Maat to a hamstring injury.

Last Thursday at Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah, RLO came in uneasy.

“It came with a very eerie feeling. You could see it was on the players’ minds. It seems as of the past several years we always seem to lose a player to a pretty bad injury on Elkhart’s field, and with the way things have gone so far for these girls this season with all the injuries, it was definitely weighing on them leading up to the game and throughout,” Wilson said.

RLO took a 3-0 halftime lead and won, 4-0. Schroeder had a hat trick and has 16 goals on the season, and Lexi Wilson had a goal on an Evraets’ assist. RLO had 42 shots. O’Keefe made six saves.

“Our attacking mids, Mia Evraets and Lexi Wilson, did an excellent job of spreading out the field and working the ball down the sidelines with help from the defensive mids Faith Wilson, Emily Luza and our forwards, Mya Schroeder and Lexi Gruman,” Wilson said.

He remained concerned about the team sustaining more injuries.

“The girls had constant pressure on Elkhart’s goal all game, but we just weren’t the same team. I spoke with the center ref at halftime and asked him to keep an eye on their players because they weren’t playing the ball but instead just coming in hard and hacking at the legs of our girls,” Wilson said. “Unfortunately, it fell on deaf ears because it only got worse in the second half and no calls to follow.”

Wilson told his team to play cat and mouse with the ball to try to avoid contact.

“The second half of this game was less about scoring and more about staying healthy and just going home with a win,” Wilson said.

RLO, after starting 1-2, won its last five games. It hosts St. Mary Catholic for youth night on Thursday, May 7, and plays at Manitowoc Lutheran on Tuesday, May 12.