This story is sponsored by: Valley Communities Credit Union
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MERRILL – The Marshfield boys soccer team had some added motivation toward the end of its Wisconsin Valley Conference game Tuesday against Merrill.
Tigers junior midfielder Quinn Schuster broke his ankle with just over 4 minutes left in a tie game as his teammates did everything they could to pull out a victory.
Marshfield peppered Merrill goalkeeper Austin Gertman with a number of shots over the final minutes, but couldn’t find the net. Then, 5:04 into overtime, Colin Telin scored off a crossing pass from Eli Oba to give the Tigers a 2-1 win.
“When Quinn went down, the guys regrouped and had several opportunities to score that were either saved, wide or high,” Marshfield coach Ron Todryk said. “They were so fired up and wanted to win this one for Quinn. They came so close at the end there.”
Schuster assisted on Marshfield’s first goal, which came just 1:34 into the game. Eli Oba scored to give the Tigers a quick lead.
Merrill’s Max Egger tied the game with 3:23 left in the first half and the game remained tied throughout the 40-minute second half.
On the game-winner, Oba led a breakaway on the right side and when he got to the end line, shot a pass across to Telin near the far post, who buried the shot in the lower right corner of the goal.
With the victory, Marshfield improves to 3-1-2 overall and 2-1 in the Wisconsin Valley Conference.
The loss of Schuster, who started his first game of the season Tuesday, leaves a void in the lineup that obviously must be filled. Todryk said foreign exchange student Jahnik Beerport may be the guy.
“Jahnik is starting to play a lot of quality time and making quality plays,” Todryk said. “He’s going to have to step up and pay a little bit more. Our other midfielders, Matt McCann, Austin Gilbert and Al Reeser, are going to have to pick it and play an extra two or three minutes.
“It’s not going to be easy replacing him. He’s just so coachable and led by example, even though he’s only a junior. He worked hard. Jahnik will get used to working with these other players and fill the void.”
The Tigers host D.C. Everest at 5 p.m. Thursday at Griese Park.
Marshfield 2, Merrill 1 OT
Marshfield 1 0 1 – 2
Merrill 1 0 0 – 1
First half: 1. Mar, Eli Oba (Quinn Schuster), 1:34; 2. Mer, Max Egger (Carlos Villa), 36:37.
Second half: No scoring.
Overtime: 3. Mar, Colin Telin (E. Oba), 85:04.
Saves: Mar, Erik Holm 5; Mer, Austin Gertman 8.
Records: Marshfield 3-1-2 overall, 2-1 Valley; Merrill 1-3, 0-2 Valley.