Hodag Highlights: Hodags advance to sectional with shootout win over Ashland

It took penalty kicks to decide it, but the Rhinelander Hodags girls soccer team is moving on.
After a scoreless 80 minutes of regulation and two overtime sessions against third-seeded Ashland Saturday, the second-seeded Hodags claimed the WIAA regional championship on penalty kicks, 4-3, earning a trip to the sectional semifinals Thursday at Lakeland.
The regional run began Tuesday evening, June 2, at Mike Webster Stadium, where Rhinelander hosted Antigo in the semifinal on a rainy night. On paper, it was expected to be lopsided — the Hodags had outscored Antigo by a combined 28-0 margin in their two previous meetings this season — and the result matched expectations. Rhinelander poured in six goals in the first half and added three more before the 60-minute mark, closing out a 9-0 victory and advancing to the championship round.
Saturday’s final against the Oredockers was a different animal entirely. Neither team could find the net through 80 minutes of regulation, and two 10-minute overtime periods came and went without a goal, sending the regional title to a penalty kick shootout.
Ashland won the pregame coin toss and elected to kick last. It proved to be no advantage.

Vivian Lamers, Ella Miljevich, Kylie Pooch and June Chiamulera each converted their attempts for Rhinelander, while each side had one shot stopped. After the fourth round of kicks, the shootout was deadlocked at 3-3.
Chiamulera, inserted as Rhinelander’s fifth shooter, stepped up and buried her shot into the left side of the net to put the Hodags ahead 4-3. Ashland’s fifth kicker needed to score to extend the shootout — but the shot struck the crossbar and sailed over the net, ending the match and sending Rhinelander to the sectional round.
It was a fitting moment for Chiamulera, who had made a key hustle play in the first overtime, scrambling back to save a ball that appeared headed into the Rhinelander goal.
The Hodags will face Lakeland on Thursday in the sectional semifinal.