With the final week of the regular season, the Three Lakes-Phelps boys soccer team got shut out by Northland Pines last Monday before closing out regular season play versus Columbus Catholic a day later.
Three Lakes-Phelps finished the regular season with a 6-5-4 record.
Head coach Brad Volkmann said the team is ready for the playoffs after playing the two one-seeds in their bracket last week.
“We are going into the postseason on a high note, having beaten the one seed on the other side of the regional in Columbus Catholic. We are playing calm and confident right now and, in my opinion, we are playing the best soccer we have played all season,” said Volkmann. “We have established a bit of a team identity and we will continue to focus on that heading into the playoffs. Team morale is good and the guys are excited to get after it for the playoffs.”
Opening the final week with the home game, the Bluejays attempted to stop a red-hot Northland Pines squad.
It was a different outcome than earlier this year for the hometown Jays, giving up goals in both halves and not reciprocating in the 2-0 defeat, unlike the first time the two teams met where Three Lakes-Phelps stormed back from a 2-0 deficit to force a draw.
The Eagles and Jays remained scoreless for the opening 27 minutes before Northland Pines struck first on one of their 11 shots on goal. Iland Shepardson beat the Three Lakes defense in the 29th minute to give the visiting Eagles the eventual 1-0 halftime lead.
Three Lakes-Phelps had no success beating Pines keeper Ryder Will, as an insurance goal in the 58th minute by Guilherme Amarez Fonseca made it a two-goal game.
Fast-forward to a day later and the Bluejays made the two-hour trip down to Marshfield to face Columbus Catholic.
The Jays found the back of the net first in the 25th minute. Three Lakes- Phelps controlled a ball near midfield and a split pass between two defenders found the foot of sophomore forward Lucas Riker. He calmly pushed one past a pressing Carter Sommer for the 1-0 advantage.
Columbus Catholic answered with a goal of its own about five minutes later and the 1-1 score held until halftime.
Out of the break, Three Lakes-Phelps kept pressing in its attacking third of the field which led to a goal five minutes into the second half by freshman Carson Plehn for a 2-1 lead. Later in the half, senior Charlie Liebscher fought through multiple Don defenders and fired a rocket into the back of the net for a two-goal lead, 3-1, in the late stages.
Christian Jolin got the start in the net for both games due to Masen Schoenek being out with a concussion, according to Volkmann. Jolin made critical plays in both games, especially against the Dons. Jolin used to be the goalkeeper for Three Lakes-Phelps but recently got moved into the field due to his ability and the emergence of Schoenek.
“CJ did an excellent job at keeper and really was a great leader from the back,” stated Volkmann. “He used to be our keeper, but he is also very valuable in the field, so he hasn’t seen a ton of action in goal. He had an outstanding game on Tuesday with several great athletic saves.”
With the playoffs here, the Bluejays coaching staff is working to construct a starting lineup that will fit best for each matchup, depending on the injury status of Schoenek.
“We are putting our heads together as a coaching staff to pick the lineup that we feel is best! Masen has done an excellent job all season, so it may come down to matchups on game day,” he said.
Up next for Three Lakes-Phelps is regional play, which will start Thursday, Oct. 24, at No. 4-seeded Barron at 4 p.m. The Bluejays are the No. 5 seed, with the winner facing No. 1-seeded Northland Pines in Eagle River Saturday, Oct. 26, in the regional final.
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