The Kiel Girls Soccer team will look to punch their fifth consecutive ticket to the WIAA State Girls Soccer Tournament this afternoon against what Head Coach Mike Pritchard calls the toughest match his unbeaten Raiders will play this year.
They head to Stock Family Stadium in Green Bay to battle the Tritons of Notre Dame Academy in a WIAA Division Three Sectional Final.
Kiel comes into today’s match as the top-ranked team in Division Three with a record of 22-0-1 while The Tritons have compiled a record of 15-6-2 against some of the toughest teams in the state.
They have a “very young” squad comprised of only two seniors, but are loaded with talent up and down their lineup.
Freshman Serene Adamski leads the Tritons in goals scored (32) and total points with 73.
Senior Teya Bordini is the team leader in assists (29) and total points (49), and has 6 players who have scored 10 or more goals this season.
Freshman Stella Boyr has played about 1200 minutes in goal and has a save percentage of nearly 81 percent.
Kiel’s roster also features a great mix of talent and experience, led offensively by senior Taavi Saeger.
She scored both goals in the Raiders’ 2-0 victory over Luxemburg Casco in the sectional semifinals, but many others can score as well.
In fact, in a victory over Valders earlier this season, nine different players put the ball in the net.
Where Kiel thrives, however, is on defense.
Their victory over Luxemburg Casco Thursday night was their ninth consecutive shutout and eighteenth this season.
Sophomore Mya Langenfeld has been outstanding in goal and receives a lot of help defensively.
(Mike) Pritchard has heaped plenty of praise on his defense all season long, with sophomore Emma Thiebault being tasked to generally take away the opposition’s main offensive threat.
It’s been the formula for success for a Raiders’ team that has not allowed a goal since May 11th, ironically against Notre Dame in a game that ended in a 2-2 tie, the only blemish on Kiel’s record this season.
The winner heads to the state tournament for a Division Three State semifinal next Friday (June 19th) in Milwaukee.
The match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
Other sectional finals today in Division Four: Howards Grove travels to Appleton to play Xavier, and Oostburg battles Ozaukee/Random Lake in Kohler.
In Division One, Kimberly takes on Wausau West at UW-Stevens Point.
