Prep boys soccer: Memorial keeps hot streak going with win over North
Apr. 16—Being in control is a good thing on the soccer field.
When the ball is at your feet, it's away from your opponent. And when they don't have the ball, they can't score.
The Eau Claire Memorial boys have been putting that principle into practice lately.
The Old Abes have won six games in a row, with the latest victory coming 8-0 over Eau Claire North on Thursday at Memorial. In that stretch, Memorial has posted five shutouts.
Simply put, they haven't been allowing anybody to get near enough to goal to put one in the back of the net.
"It's the intensity in the midfield and the defense," Memorial junior Jared Nunez said.
"Everyone puts in that work. It's intensity. ... And we work well together at the back. Everyone works well in the system."
Nunez scored three goals and Ben Zumwalt added two of his own in Thursday's victory.
The Old Abes built a 5-0 lead by halftime and added three more goals late in the second half. Defensively, they didn't allow any shots on goal.
It kept the recent momentum going. Memorial has outscored its last six opponents 38-3. Since starting the season 2-2, the Old Abes are white-hot.
"We were a young team coming in. We knew it was going to take some work, we weren't going to click right away," Nunez said. "But right now, we're buzzing. The boys are putting in the work, and it's starting to show."
Memorial struck four times in an 11-minute span midway through the first half against an even younger North squad. The Huskies have fielded a lineup consisting of mostly underclassmen this spring.
"It's huge (to get experience)," North coach Terry Albrecht said. "You bill it as working for next fall. We'll lose four seniors, so pretty much the whole team will be coming back next year. It's one of those things where the underclassmen are going to reap the rewards for playing tough ones like this."
The play of goalkeeper Caden Eberle was one of the bright spots for the young Huskies. The sophomore made 17 saves, and several goals would have been impossible for him to stop.
"Last year he came in in a tough spot, as a freshman playing keeper. So he grew a lot last year," Albrecht said. "He's grown, become more confident in how he carries himself in goal. He did a pretty decent job tonight, we just have to do a better job out in the field for him."
That was a tough task against an Old Abes team clicking on all levels.
In addition to Nunez and Zumwalt's goal-scoring, Ryder Woodworth, Garrett Woodford and Joey Moua all knocked a shot into the net.
Meanwhile, the Memorial midfield and back line rarely let the ball get into its own box.
"I liked our performance, thought we played well," Memorial coach David Kite said. "We're a work in progress. I thought our build-up play looked nice, and we looked crisp, sharp. We looked good on the ball. Overall, I thought it was a nice performance."
It was the last intracity meeting between the two rivals scheduled for the regular season. Both squads have a handful of games left before the playoffs commence in May.
Memorial 8, North 0
North 0 0 — 0
Memorial 5 3 — 8
Goals: 1, Memorial, Jared Nunez (Easton Bertoni), 3rd minute; 2, Memorial, Ryder Woodworth (Nunez), 22nd minute; 3, Memorial, Garrett Woodford (DC Brunclik), 26th minute; 4, Memorial, Nunez, 32nd minute; 5, Memorial, Nunez, 33rd minute; 6, Memorial, Ben Zumwalt (Brunclik), 73rd minute; 7, Memorial, Zumwalt (Jack Campbell), 84th minute; 8, Memorial, Joey Moua (Brunclik), 87th minute. Saves: Caden Eberle (North) 17, Brody Luepke (Memorial) 0. Records: Memorial 8-2, North 2-5-1.
