Hudson Girls Soccer Team Comes Out of Shell, Breaks .500 Mark

The  varsity girls soccer team got out of its scoring doldrums that had led to many close games this season, with Tuesday's 3-0 victory over Menomonie at the Hudson Middle School soccer field. The win put the team over the .500 mark.

Goals came from Alyssa Muller – as one of their breakaways toward the net proved fruitful – and Paige Ommen from 35 yards late in the first half, and from Alyssa Claflin as insurance. Goalie Tessa Bakken preserved her shutout in the 25th minute of the second half with a leaping save of a shot that seemed headed for just below the crossbar.

“Winning 3-0 is a good confidence builder for our offensive attack,” Coach John Knutson said of the game, which was shortened a few minutes because of lightning. “We had three dynamic goals tonight.”

The Raiders outshot Menomonie 21-3.

Hudson won the first meeting of the two teams 1-0. Contests where opponents won by small margins included those against Eau Claire North and a Chippewa Falls match where the only score came 77 minutes into play.

“We've outshot them and maintained time of possession, but haven't had the offense scoring,” Knutson said. “We have played solid defense.”

These things also were shown earlier in the season against Rice Lake, where the teams played to a scoreless tie after 100 minutes that included overtime, even though Hudson outshot the Warriors 19-5.

In a recent contest at home against Eau Claire Memorial, Hudson lost 3-0. Knutson noted that they allowed only one goal after a halftime session that he used as a several-minute tutorial.

“We played pretty tough against the conference's best team, and we held them to 12 shots,” Knutson said.

When asked about the speech at intermission, he noted it's said the true measure of a coach is getting more out of players than they think they have in them.

“We have a relatively young team compared to most schools,” Knutson said, adding there are seven seniors among the 18 players. “Our work effort and attitude is a key to our success, but we need to work on our technical and tactical skills.”

The squad has a 5-4-1 record and is 2-4-1 in the Big Rivers Conference, Knutson said, adding that they have done best against non-conference opponents.

“We need to work now on finishing our opportunities,” Knutson said about the second half of the season. “The second time around, we want to beat the teams we're supposed to beat.”

One of Hudson's key players is Morgan Karras, who has been out of action since tearing an ACL during varsity basketball. She cited team chemistry obtained through things such as sleepovers, and offseason workouts, for bonding of players that leads to success.

“Our effort helps out the most,” she said. “We always give 100 percent, and hopefully that will help us move up in the conference standings.”

When asked about coaching with his youngest daughter, Megan, Knutson said, "It's been great. To have an assistant coach like Megan who not only played for Hudson High School but went on to play and be a captain in college at UW-La Crosse is great. The girls respect her knowledge and ability and she often steps in to lead by example.”