Pines soccer starts the season hot

There wasn’t much question whether or not the Northland Pines varsity boys soccer team would win its first two games this season after the first half of both contests. The Eagles scored three goals in the first half against Three Lakes in an eventual 6-0 win last Tuesday in the season opener and scored another four in the opening half against Northland Lutheran last Thursday in an 8-0 victory.

With a battle-tested roster already in place ahead of the season after losing just one senior, the Eagles hit the ground running, and with speed, to start the season.

Head Coach Jamie Remme has seen plenty of good in the first two games, but wants the team to look at things one step at a time as the season progresses.

“It has been a great start to the season with a couple of wins at home. We plan to continue to just focus on our game and take on the challenges for the day at hand, whether during practice or a match,” Remme stated. “We are excited about how the offensive and defensive players are showing up to play together as a team.”

A rivalry game against Three Lakes-Phelps set the stage for the start of the 2026 season, where Northland Pines left no doubt from the jump. Three goals in the first 40 minutes gave the Eagles a comfortable edge heading into the second half of that contest. Pines got past the Three Lakes goaltender three more times in the second half to cap off the scoring.

Senior Ryan Rydeski led the team with two goals to open his senior campaign as a captain on the team. Senior Jackson Olejniczak also netted two goals, along with one from Oliver DePuydt and Brock Adamovich. The Eagles fired 24 shots on net with their high-octane offensive pursuit.

Goaltender Easton Otto collected eight saves in the win.

The offense and suffocating defensive effort carried into another home game against Northland Lutheran Aug. 27 in Eagle River. The Eagles put up another four goals in the first half and tallied a fifth early on in the second half to really control the game.

Five Pines players scored in the win, and Coach Remme is also enjoying the unselfishness the guys are showing on the field. Rydeski added three more goals to his early-season tally, while Olejniczak added another pair. Sam Shrock, Tyler Vojta and Adamovich also added to the tally in the win.

“Assistant coach Brad Adamovich and I are really pleased with the positive attitude and effort the boys are demonstrating. “We talk about being consistent and controlling the controllables and not worrying about the rest,” he explained.

The Eagles kicked off Great Northern Conference play this week after the 2-0 start to the season. Pines traveled to face Mosinee this past Tuesday to kick off league play and will host Medford this Thursday, Sept. 3, at 4:30 p.m.

Pines will be back at Sam Larsen Field against Merrill High School on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 4:30 p.m.