By Tori Wittenbrock
Associate Sports Editor
PULASKI – Despite drab weather conditions and a rainy onslaught to start the game, the Pulaski Red Raiders — with the help of a hat trick by Ellie Mangold — put on a 4-0 show to defeat the Sheboygan-South Redwings.
“I’m just really proud of them. They just stuck together and they persevered. It says a lot about their character. They are not willing to let anything stand in their way and they just keep going forward,” said Pulaski Head Coach Kelly Logue about her team’s ability to perform well in rainy conditions.
During some of the roughest conditions of the game, Mangold netted a slippery shot low on the ground into the far post from the top of the box 14 minutes into the game to give her team the lead and momentum they would hold for the rest of the game.
The ball moved slowly throughout the match due to the conditions, giving Pulaski an edge with the timing of their through balls and passes on their home field.
The Red Raiders managed to keep the ball in Sheboygan’s half of the field for the majority of the game, sending lots of balls to the flag for service into the box from corners.
After a corner kick at the 20 minute mark for Pulaski, a handball in the box on the defense awarded the Red Raiders a penalty kick which allowed Josie Steeno to put their team ahead 2-0.
Moments later, a fast break for Pulaski’s Hailey Jansen in the box brought a spark to the offense but was cleared by Sheboygan’s Lydia Hutchison at 21:30.
The Redwings continued to maintain possession in the box before dropping the ball back to Lillian Berndt for a shot low and wide from the top of the box.
Brynlee Sturdivant made a negative pass to Steeno from a corner kick in the 30th minute for a hard shot blocked by the Redwings’ keeper that kept the defense on their toes.
With just six minutes left in the first half, Sheboygan-South got their first real attempt at goal of the game with a shot across the net to test Pulaski keeper Peighton Brandenburg, but a save meant that the score would remain 2-0 going into halftime.
“I’m proud of seeing other people step up. Whether it was in a different position, or whether it was someone who hasn’t scored, getting a hat trick — I think I was just really proud of how they stepped up. There were girls dropping back into other positions, and they truly did what was best for the team tonight,” said Logue.
Pulaski came out strong in the second half with a second goal from Mangold on an assist from Ruth Krause nine minutes into second after a battle in front of the net led to service into the box for a clean finish.
A breakaway for Sheboygan’s Jennifer Gallego De Jesus was stopped by Alina Harnowski at center back for Pulaski a few moments later.
Isabella Logue continued to facilitate passes and through balls from center field to produce opportunities for her team as an attacking midfielder.
In the 68th minute of the match, Logue got an opportunity for herself with a shot she chipped over the net from just outside the penalty box.
In the 70th minute, Jansen got a cross off across the face of the net, but with no runners in the box the score remained 3-0.
However, in the 77th minute of play, Mangold did not let up and secured her third goal of the night on an assist from Sturdivant for a tap-in finish.
The final score was 4-0, bringing Pulaski’s record to 6-1-2 overall and 1-0-1 in the Fox River Classic Conference (FRCC).
On Saturday, April 27, the Red Raiders will face the Green Bay East Red Devils at 11 a.m. in an away game.
Though they came away with a win, Logue said that the team still has things to work on as they continue to get deeper into the 2024 season.
“Our touches were off today,” said Logue. “The elements weren’t in our favor and simple things like that will make a difference going forward.”