LA CROSSE — When the girls soccer season began, Central High School coach Joe Czerniak wasn’t sure what kind of team he was about to put on the field.
To be fair, plenty of coaches find themselves in that position, but Czerniak was bouncing between two extreme styles of play.
“I was wondering if we were going to have to outscore teams or if we would be able to defend the way we are,” the coach said during a practice break at Logan’s Swanson Field on Tuesday afternoon.
The question came with playing three ‘new’ defenders in front of the net with junior Chloe Ackerman. Freshman Sophie Ackerman, sophomore Brynn Bosshard and senior Kaitie Biondo were those three players, and none of them started last season.
Biondo had two seasons of varsity experience before missing her junior year with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Bosshard’s experience was with the junior varsity.
“We had a scrimmage with West Salem and held our own,” Czerniak said. “I thought, ‘Maybe these kids can play a little bit.'”
They have all played key roles in the RiverHawks enjoying a historical girls soccer season.
Top-seeded Central (12-4-2), which is ranked ninth in Division 2 by state coaches, beat fourth-seeded Reedsburg 2-0 on Saturday to win the first regional championship in program history.
Its reward is a sectional semifinal against second-seeded Onalaska (12-5-1). The RiverHawks and Hilltoppers will meet for a third time this season at 7 p.m. Thursday at Swanson Field to determine which team heads to Arcadia for a sectional final against either River Falls or New Richmond Saturday afternoon.
Biondo’s return was big for Central, which had lost regional finals in its previous three seasons. She received a little playing time last season, but she was at least tentative about her health when this season began.
“Watching them last year really made me want to work harder to get back on the field with my team,” Biondo said. “It took a few games for it to feel normal. I was pretty aware of (the knee) and putting it in danger, and after three or four games, I felt like I was just playing again.”
Her experience on the back line was essential if the team was going to defend the way it does, and the veteran players knew that.
“That was great,” senior goalkeeper Laura Lapp said. “It’s always great to have a teammate come back from injury like that and succeed.
“I think it was when she scored her goal against Onalaska (in a 1-1 tie on May 1) that you could really see her confidence come back.”
Biondo, Ackerman, Ackerman, Bosshard and Lapp have been the key cogs in Central’s 11 shutouts, but its evolved from a defensive philosophy that has been adopted by the entire team. Central has only allowed nine goals this season, and just two opponents — West Salem and Holmen on May 22 and 27 — have scored twice against the RiverHawks.
“We defend not only as a back four but as a group,” Czerniak said. “When you do that, you have opportunities to be successful.”
Chloe Ackerman said communication has been top-notch as the defensive group has learned to play together.
“We have been able to connect well on and off the field,” she said. “I think you see that on the field.
“Brynn played some varsity and some junior varsity last year, and Kaitie and I have played together a few years now. The freshman is my sister, so she was already kind of known on the team.”
With the defense set, the RiverHawks simply had to take advantage of enough scoring opportunities as they arose, and that came naturally for junior Grace Wilkerson, who has 24 goals and 13 assists this season.
She said the confidence in Central’s defense lifted pressure on her to score. In soccer, lost chances can weigh heavy, but converting once or twice per game could make all the difference in the world.
“I don’t get too worried about (goals),” Wilkerson said. “Our defense always has really good cover, and everyone trusts each other and knows where to go.”
And when the opponent is marked sufficiently, all it takes is a clear the other way to send Wilkerson into action. That generally favors the RiverHawks.
