Jun. 13—The Regis/McDonell soccer team had to do more than its fair share of waiting to get on the field on Saturday.
First, the Saints’ Division 4 regional final against Spooner was rescheduled from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. And when 8 p.m. rolled around, they had to wait some more — the officials working the contest were still at Eau Claire Memorial, finishing up the Old Abes’ overtime game.
When the delays were finally over and the game kicked off 40 minutes later, the Saints showed they’d been locked in through it all.
Regis/McDonell got four goals from Annabelle Schroeder en route to an 8-1 win over Spooner at Simpson Field, giving the Saints a regional crown for the first time since 2018.
“I think everyone was sort of nervous during the wait, but we all just worked through it together,” Schroeder said. “We just kept our minds off the nerves and it seemed to work.”
A slew of early goals probably helped too. The Saints scored twice inside the first 20 minutes to take an early lead, and added to it with a three-goal flurry just before halftime.
The result was in little doubt after the first few goals. The Saints dominated possession and kept the ball in the Rails’ half for most of the game.
“We’re playing our best soccer of the season right now,” Regis/McDonell coach Scott Hoffmann said.
Alison Haag added a hat trick for the Saints, scoring once in the first half and twice after the break.
Lexi Ridenour also got on the score sheet, knocking home a volley in the 10th minute to open the scoring.
Spooner’s lone goal came in the 27th minute on one of the rare occasions the ball got deep into the Saints’ half. Regis/McDonell answered quickly, getting a goal from Haag six minutes later and two more from Schroeder in the next 20 minutes.
“I felt really good about the way we played,” Hoffmann said. “It was so fun to watch us pass the ball at times tonight. They really have improved from the start of the season to where they are right now.”
The coach isn’t the only one who feels that way.
“I think we’ve improved a lot over the course of the year,” Schroeder said. “We started a little weak and weren’t really working together very well, but by today we’re working together really well.”
Regis/McDonell, the No. 1 seed in the regional, earned a bye into the regional finals. They spent 90 minutes showing why against the fifth-seeded Rails, and went home with the regional title as a result.
“It’s good for them,” Hoffmann said. “They had the whole year off where they couldn’t play, so to have some excitement and fun like this, I’m happy for them.”
The Saints will face either Northland Pines or Washburn/Bayfield in the sectional semifinals on Thursday.
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Regis/McDonell 8, Spooner 1
Spooner;1;0;—;1
Regis/McDonell;5;3;—;8
Goals: 1, Regis/McDonell, Lexi Ridenour (Colleen Callaghan), 10th minute; 2, Regis/McDonell, Annabelle Schroeder (PK), 20th minute; 3, Spooner, 27th minute; 4, Regis/McDonell, Alison Haag, 33rd minute; 5, Regis/McDonell, Schroeder, 40th minute; 6, Regis/McDonell, Schroeder, 45th minute; 7, Regis/McDonell, Schroeder (Callaghan), 55th minute; 8, Regis/McDonell, Haag, 56th minute; 9, Regis/McDonell, Haag, 64th minute.
