Somerset soccer draws Rice Lake in opening round of WIAA tournaments

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A date in Rice Lake this Thursday awaits the Somerset girls soccer team.

The Spartans will face Rice Lake in the opening round of WIAA Division 2 regional tournament play on Thursday. Somerset is the seventh seed in the regional tournament bracket and Rice Lake is seeded second.

Rice Lake plays a schedule that consists mainly of Division 1 opponents because of its place in the Big Rivers Conference. The Warriors began this week with a 10-11-1 record. They have a 3-9-1 record in the BRC.

The Spartans began this week with a 1-18-1 record after losses to Menomonie and Spooner last week. The Spartans lost to Menomonie 5-0 last Monday. They were scheduled to play Spooner last Thursday and Eau Claire Regis on Friday. Thursday’s game was rained out, so Friday’s home game with Regis was dumped and the Spartans ended up making the trip to Spooner on Friday. It wasn’t a happy trip, with the Spartans losing 8-0. The Spartans had been looking forward to facing Regis again, because they lost to the Ramblers 2-0 when they met earlier in May.

Spartan coach Erin Wilson said she is trying to prevent the girls from becoming downhearted over the losses, while trying to correct flaws in the team’s play.

“Most of the goals that are getting scored on us are breakaways where it is a one-on-one with Natalie (goalkeeper Natalie Moses) or a one-on-one with a defender that gets beat. I have to figure out a plan because we can’t continue that way,” Wilson said.

Tags: sports, spartans, soccer, prep