The Shawano Community High School boys soccer team stayed undefeated in the Bay Conference on Thursday, knocking off Austin Mahlik and visiting Marinette 2-0.
The Hawks held Mahlik, the Marines’ leading scorer and one of the best in the state, without a goal.
“That was our goal today, try to shut him down and try to get a goal ourselves,” Shawano coach Bob Croschere said. “It worked out.”
As the Shawano defense took the senior forward out of the match, it was obvious Marinette (2-3 Bay) had no other answers.
“I think a lot of (Marinette players) build off of what Austin does,” Croschere said. “He was frustrated and we took him out of his game and everything went from there.”
Shawano (5-0 Bay) got a goal from Chancellor VanDyck in the first minute of the game.
“Always a good way to start,” Croschere said “We gave them some good opportunities after that.”
In the final minute before the half, VanDyck came up big again, putting in a ball out of a scrum in front of the Marinette goal on a crossing free kick by Zach Dickmann.
All three of Marinette’s shots on goal in the game were corralled by goalie Michael Meisner.
Zach Delong had five saves tending the Marinette goal.
“Two goals was a good showing against this team,” Croschere said. “I thought it was going to be a tough game for us and that’s what it ended up being. I thought we played well.”
As for VanDyck’s recent success, Croschere said teams overlook the senior at their own peril.
“A lot of people have been going back and forth with Garret (Schlise), as much as he’s been scoring, and Zach Dickmann, and they’ve been laying off of (VanDyck) and he’s been getting openings and taking advantage of it,” Croschere said.
Shawano’s perfect record sets up a battle Tuesday for the top spot in the Bay when Hortonville, which went into Tuesday night with a 4-0 record, visits.
“That’s going to be a good game,” Croschere said.
Wins against Hortonville and West De Pere at home Oct. 1 will guarantee Shawano a first-place seed in the Bay Conference tournament.
Croschere, though, isn’t about to change his one-game-at-a-time philosophy.
“So far it’s gone well, one game at a time,” Croschere said. “We’ll see what happens Tuesday against Hortonville and we’ll move on from there.”
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