MILTON - Through 60 minutes of Milton's home boys soccer game against Watertown, both teams had failed to get on the scoreboard.
Scoring chances were there, but certainly not plentiful due to the physicality each team brought to the match.
With the Red Hawks needing a goal, Sal Hernandez and Ethan Hall came through with a play to lift Milton to a 1-0 victory over Badger Large Conference opponent Watertown.
Hall navigated the ball from the left corner over to Hernandez who made sure to capitalize on the opportunity presented to him.
"I saw a bunch of people standing around. I moved around a bunch and I told them ‘stop standing flat-footed’," Hernandez said. "I screamed for the ball right as Ethan saw me. The rest was history."
The physicality of the match was on display at Jerry Schleim Stadium.
“It felt like we were going after each other more than the actual ball,” said Hernandez.
Tonight felt like a must-win for Milton.
Before tonight the Red Hawks (5-4-4 overall, 2-3-1 conference) have not won against a Badger Large team since their 1-0 victory against Waunakee on Sept. 10.
“We knew this was kind of the game for us to work up in the standings,” said Milton coach Tim Hall.
Knowing they needed to win, the Red Hawks came in with a plan tonight.
“We talked about pressuring [and] being first to the ball,” said Hall.
Hall wanted his team to focus on pushing forward and winning the game in the midfield. As the score reflects, the Red Hawks did just that.
Hall called Sal’s goal “perfect” and exactly what his team was working on.
Watertown played a hard game and had chances to score in both halves. With roughly 10 minutes to play the Goslings made a final push to get themselves on the scoreboard.
Their multiple shots were all fended off, and with Edu Malo De Molina Abad’s kick to clear the ball in the 76th minute, the Red Hawks made their final stand.
Before their 9-0 win against Janesville Parker on Saturday, Oct. 5, the team had lost three straight to Mukwonago, DeForest, and most recently, Monona Grove.
The victory gets the team back on track before another home game later in the week on Thursday against Edgerton.
Janesville Craig 3, Madison La Follette 1
Johnny Olson scored the go-ahead goal off a free kick in the 51st minute to give the Cougars the lead for good after the Lancers had knotted the score soon after the second half began.
Olson also finished the evening's scoring by converting penalty kick in the 75th minute. Peter Karanja started off the Craig scoring on a goal in the 32nd minute in in a Big Eight Conference road match in Madison.
Finn Dillon made 11 saves for the Cougars, who host Milton in a non-conference match Friday.
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