Teddy’s Notebook from the Wisconsin State Series

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are some of my top notes from the Wisconsin soccer state series that was played last weekend</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='61866' first='Connor' last='Gage'] is the real deal, leads Verona to a state title</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wisconsin commit [player_tooltip player_id='61866' first='Connor' last='Gage'] has already become Verona's all-time leading scorer before his junior season was even over. His off-ball movement and field awareness are sensational. He scored 33 goals on the year, including a pair in the state series, to capture the Division I state crown for Verona. Gage scored the game winner against Marquette in the title gamer with a beautiful free kick from the corner of the box. Gage committed to Wisconsin-Madison last month. Before that, he'll look to repeat in Wisconsin D1.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Verona's supporting pieces are exciting prospects</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In addition to Gage, I really liked the play from several other prospects on Verona. Senior Brian Vazquez scored a sensational goal to equalize Marquette late in the first half. He scored 18 goals on the season. Forward Alex Klimm also impressed with a go-ahead goal against Hamilton on a perfect shot into the bottom left corner. He played really well with the ball and showed lots of confidence throughout the weekend. Before that, he buried a free kick to equalize the game at 2.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Oregon repeats in D2 after thrilling finish</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>A sailed penalty kick in the eighth round of a shootout decided it. Oregon and Whitefish Bay matched up yet again in the state championship. Both programs are powers in the state of Wisconsin and tend to compete for state titles every season. Whitefish Bay held a 1-0 advantage before a late free-kick goal in regulation from Anthony Elert tied it. The play from Oregon's senior GK Jack Kreckman was solid. He made several key plays in the game and showed strong handling abilities in a game full of rough wind and rainfall. Oregon midfielder Mason Diercks finished his senior season with 15 goals and 10 assists. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sophomore sensation Bretzmann dominates competition en route to D3 state championship</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jack Bretzmann ended his sophomore campaign with an outstanding 30 goals and eight assists to go along with a state championship. He proved to be the difference maker yet again in the state series. He scored the lone goal of a 1-0 semifinal win over Wisconsin dells. Then, Bretzmann did it again against state power Notre Dame and 44-goal scorer [player_tooltip player_id='31513' first='Emmett' last='Lawton'] in the championship game. Yet again, it was another 1-0 win with Bretzmann scoring the goal in the first half. The defense stepped up big and held two crucial clean sheets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->