Bluejays end week tied up in soccer action

The Three Lakes-Phelps boys varsity soccer team ended a busy period last week after tying up time with ten games played during the past three weeks. Ironically, the last three matches have literally ended with tie scores, bringing their season record to 7-5-4. The Bluejays started last week with a 1-1 home game on Tuesday against the Wildcats of Northland Lutheran, and then ended the week on Thursday with a 0-0 battle in Michigan against the Gremlins of Houghton High School.

The streak of tied games extends to the previous week, when the Jays came from behind to tie Amery 2-2 in a tournament at Northland Pines, with Cohen Welsh providing the tying score on a penalty kick in the second half. Scoring slowed to a trickle last week as only Lucas Riker was able to find the back of the net with a goal against the Wildcats on a center kick following a feed from Welsh. At the same time, the Bluejays have been playing well by controlling the pace of each game and allowing only eight goals spanning the past 10 contests.

Brad Volkmann is the head coach of the Bluejays, and he said tie games are not necessarily a bad thing. “Of course it is always better to win a game,” he said, “but regarding a tie game, sometimes it can be frustrating, but sometimes it can also be OK. When we tied Amery and Northland Lutheran, we felt that we should have won both of those games, so it was frustrating, but the tie at Houghton was different. They beat us handily earlier in the season, so achieving a 0-0 draw was a victory for our team.”

He went on to say that “sometimes the tie is a result of us playing very well, and sometimes not. Either way, we just try to keep things positive and to get better so the draws eventually turn to victories.”

The Jays had their share of shots on goal in both games last week, and the coaches have commented on the effective ball control and passing domination.

The stat sheet reflected 13 shot chances against Northland Lutheran, with some good offensive efforts by Riker, Welsh and goalkeeper Robert Wenberg. This turned out to be a good fit because the Bluejays were celebrating the senior players and parents during a special ceremony between halves at Three Lakes High School. The senior players were presented with a personal soccer ball signed by the coaches and players.
While Riker and Welsh have been solid goal producers through the years, Wenberg is adapting to a new position as goalkeeper, filling the spot held for the past couple of seasons by Masen Schoeneck, who last year chalked up seven shutouts. Volkmann said that the switch has been beneficial for the club.

“Robert has done a great job in this new role, and at the same time, it allows us to use the athleticism and speed of Masen to give us more scoring options on the final third of the field.”

The Bluejays will have two games this week, starting with a home rematch early in the week against cross-town rival Northland Pines. The team will then travel to Eau Claire to face the Saints at Regis High School. Game time is set to begin at 7:00 p.m.