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By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
MARSHFIELD – Here’s something that has never been said before Saturday: The Marshfield High School boys soccer team is heading to state.
Camilo Mesa, Austin Gilbert and Alex Sainterme scored goals in a 14-minute span of the first half and that was more than enough for Marshfield to beat New Richmond 3-1 in a WIAA Division 2 sectional final Saturday afternoon at a breezy Griese Park.
Marshfield (20-4-2) will take on Oregon in a Division 2 semifinal on Friday at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee in its first-ever WIAA state tournament game. The Division 2 state championship game is Saturday, Nov. 2, at 3 p.m.
“I don’t know how to describe it, really, because it’s never been done here before,” Gilbert, a four-year letterman, said. “The last three years, we never even won a playoff game.”
Marshfield won just 21 games the last three years. This year the Tigers have won 20 and are two away from a state championship.
“Sure there was some doubt just because every year we thought we were going to do great, but it didn’t really measure up to that,” Gilbert said. “As soon as we started winning games, we just kept winning.”
Mesa shredded a 30-yard shot over the head of New Richmond goalkeeper Rocco Ficociello at the 20:48 mark to break the scoreless stalemate.
Just 2:22 later, Gilbert nailed home a penalty kick, and 11 minutes later Sainterme snuck one past Ficociello to put Marshfield up 3-0.
“They are a very physical team and they played hard,” Marshfield coach Ron Todryk said. “They put us back on our heels for a while. The referees started calling things a little bit more and we started to turn it on. We realized they came down here to play and wanted to win as much as we did.”
Jack Hop scored New Richmond’s only goal 12:25 into the second half.
Marshfield 3, New Richmond 1
New Richmond 0 1 – 1
Marshfield 3 0 – 3
First half: 1. M, Camilo Mesa (unassisted), 20:48; 2. M, Austin Gilbert (penalty kick), 23:10; 3. M, Alex Sainterme (Matt McCann), 34:37.
Second half: 4. NR, Jack Hop (ua), 52:25.
Saves: NR, Rocco Ficociello 4; M, Matt Brown 7.
Corner kicks: NR 2, M 2.