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Red Hawks soar to state

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Milton vs. Badger Soccer Sectional Final

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WILMOT — Sure, it’s a pretty sappy sports movie script.

One team suffers a tough loss to an opponent, picks itself up, goes through a whole season of hard work and comes back to gain revenge by beating said opponent.

It’s been written a million times. And yet it never gets old for the winning team.

Such was the position Milton High School’s boys soccer team was in Saturday after a 2-0 domination of Lake Geneva Badger at Frank Bucci Field in a WIAA Division 1 sectional final gave the Red Hawks to their first state tournament since 2002.

A year ago, Badger ended Milton’s season with a 1-0 win in the sectional semifinals. Rest assured, every single Red Hawk had that loss on his mind after turning the table on the Badgers this time.

“You could put this into a movie,” Milton senior goalkeeper Nick Hallett said. “We had them last year. They knocked us out, put us all into tears. It just crushed us.

“We thought we were going to state last year,’’ he said. “And to get them back this year, play them again—it’s just amazing to knock them out, and now we’re in.”

The Red Hawks (14-12) face Green Bay Preble (20-4-2) at 7 p.m. Thursday at Milwaukee’s Uihlein Soccer Park in a state quarterfinal game. Badger, meanwhile, finished its season 18-4-3.

There were certainly a lot of redeeming qualities in Milton’s win Saturday. Not only did the Red Hawks avenge last season’s loss to Badger, but they also proved that a tough start to a season doesn’t have to mean a bad finish.

Because of an ineligible player, Milton had to forfeit three wins in its first five games. All the Red Hawks did with their 0-5 start was parlay it into a state berth.

“There’s bumps in the road and everything,” Hallett said. “Yeah, that’s rough, but we got over it, and now we’re going to state. Not much more you can ask for—the record doesn’t mean anything.”

Milton, seeded fourth, used the exact same formula to topple third-seeded Badger as it did in beating top-seeded Kenosha Tremper in Thursday’s sectional semifinal: Lockdown defense and two goals from senior forward Adam Lysak.

In four postseason games, Milton has allowed just two goals. Ironically, Milton second-year coach Ryan Wagner said his team’s defense was a weakness earlier this season.

But the combination of Nick Miller, Austin Grandt, Adam Homan and Justin Karleski, along with Hallett, has been phenomenal when it counts the most.

Hallett’s best save came on a point-blank chance from Badger’s Wesley Aranda in the 70th minute.

Does Wagner have an explanation for the defensive turnaround?

“I don’t know what it is,” he admitted.

Lysak again was impressive in providing Milton’s scoring. He beat Badger’s defense on a through ball from Luke Novak in the 25th minute and calmly slipped a shot below Badger goalie Brendan Gruenwald-Schmitz, who kept the Badgers in contention with five saves.

In the 52nd minute, Milton was awarded a penalty kick when Eddie Berlanga took a back-heel pass from Lysak and was taken down from behind in the box by Nicholas Morelock.

Lysak took the penalty kick, and his shot to the upper-right corner was true for a 2-0 lead.

“The penalty was a good call,” Badger coach Ramon Reyes said. “The fact that they scored obviously didn’t help our morale.”

And by that point, Milton was well on its way to state.

MILTON 2, BADGER 0

Milton 1 1—2

Lake Geneva Badger 0 0—0

First Half

M—Adam Lysak (Luke Novak), 24:09.

Second Half

M—Lysak (penalty kick), 51:40.

Saves—Nick Hallett (M) 3, Brendan Gruenwald-Schmitz (LGB) 5.

WIAA boys state soccer

At Uihlein Soccer Park

Milwaukee

DIVISION 1

Games Thursday

Quarterfinals

Noon—Neenah vs. Milwaukee Marquette

2 p.m.—Eau Claire Memorial vs. Mequon Homestead

5 p.m.—Madison West vs. Muskego

7 p.m.—Milton vs. Green Bay Preble

DIVISION 2

Games Friday

Semifinals

Noon—Dodgeville/Mineral Point vs.Waukesha Catholic Memorial

2 p.m.—Pewaukee vs. Green Bay Notre Dame

DIVISION 3

Games Friday

Semifinals

Noon—Chippewa Falls McDonell vs. Milwaukee University School

2 p.m.—New Holstein vs. Columbus