September 11th away Fort Atkinson

  - JV  Jv keeps on rolling, defeating Fort 1-0 on a goal by Mitch Marty.  Their record now stands at 4 wins and 2 ties!

September 13th away Platteville

  - JV  traveled to Legion field and took on Platteville.  This game was tied at one at half time on a goal by Cody Stamm.  But in the second half, Monroe scored two to put this game away.  Kevin Frint scored on a MONSTER shot from WAY DOWN TOWN, just under the cross bar to make the score 2-1.  Then Zach Farrar was able to get the third goal for Monroe on the way to a 3-1 final!

Their record now stands at 4 wins and 2 ties!

  - Varsity loses a tough one, 1-0 at Plattevile High School.

September 16th at Home Vs Oregon

MONROE - Banged up and struggling, the Monroe boys soccer team gained some encouragement from Tuesday's 2-0 loss to Oregon, a perennial top team in the Badger South Conference. "We did a very good job marking up the ball," Monroe coach Tony Stamm said. "We had a couple of mistakes where the ball got a little too far back, but other than that I thought we played much better ball - especially playing against a team this good in conference." The game remained scoreless throughout much of the first half, with the Panthers (6-3-1 overall) pressuring the Cheesemakers' defense. In the 27th minute, Oregon's Karl Bock broke the tie by sending the ball past Monroe goalkeeper Dan Becker. Despite the goal, Monroe (3-7) didn't let up. The first half finished with Monroe down 1-0, and the Cheese came out of the gates in the second half showing signs of life and resilience. The offense started pressuring the Panthers, and the defense ate up the ball. "Our defense was working very hard and did very well. We win the ball more than the other teams," Stamm said. "I'm really impressed with all the guys working hard out there today." Perhaps the most visible of the defensive stars was Becker, who despite allowing two goals (the last of which came with less than six minutes to play in the game) played well. For much of the second half, Oregon headshots and streaking shots on goal sailed wide or over the net. However, when the Panthers shots starting heading directly for the net, Becker was there to deny whatever came near him from entering the goal. With 16 minutes left in the game, Oregon sent a one-timer on a corner kick, but Becker sprawled out with little regard for his body and blocked the ball. A minute later, Oregon again had a clean shot on goal, but Becker got down on the dirt and took it away. And in the next minute, continuing his goalkeeping clinic, an Oregon breakaway kick came in high and Becker jumped as high as he could and punched the ball over the back of the net for a second highlight-reel save. "It was a little fast to catch, so I put it over the bar and played it safe," Becker said. The three saves energized the Cheesemakers on both offense and defense. Monroe sent multiple shots at Panther goalie Jameson Kronser, however the Cheese were unable to capitalize. "We're just not getting enough players to the goal. We need to get more pressure on the goal," Stamm said of his offense. However, Becker knows that sometimes the best offense can essentially be defense. "If you're not allowing any goals, then it gives your team a good chance to win. Even if you don't score and the game is close late in the game, the guys may start to think that we can score and win this game," Becker said. Monroe next plays at Evansville on Friday.

September 19th away Evansville

  - JV  traveled to Evansville and played the opener at 4:45. JV was able to score two goals, one on a direct kick from Sy Caloway in the first half, then a second goal by Matt Bodeau in the second half. 

Their record now stands at 5 wins, 1 loss and 2 ties!

  - Evansville tops Monroe Varsity Soccer, 2-1

By Times staff

EVANSVILLE - Monroe's boys' soccer team struck first Friday, but still fell 2-1 to Evansville.
Jon Elmer's goal just 8 minutes, 35 seconds into the game gave Monroe a 1-0 lead.

But Evansville evened the score about 17 minutes later and then got the game-winner midway through the second half.
Dan Becker made five saves for Monroe.

September 23rd away Milton

  - Both the Varsity and JV lost tough games at Milton.

September 30th home Stoughton

  - JV hosted Stoughton and came away with another win!  They battled Stoughton to a 3-1 victory and improved their record to 6 wins, 2 losses and 2 ties

Cold snap continues for Cheese
Stoughton scores early, shuts out Monroe, 2-0

Adam Krebs

MONROE - As the Cheesemakers took the field against Stoughton on Tuesday afternoon, boys soccer head coach Tony Stamm noticed the team didn't show as much readiness as he would have hoped for.

"We had a cold start again," Stamm said after a 2-0 loss. "We're just not getting excited right at the beginning of the game. We let an easy one get through and we've been having a consistent problem with that - getting ready to play right away at full speed."

Stoughton's Jake Thiermann scored the only goal the Vikings would need just three minutes into the game. The rest of the first half went scoreless, though Monroe began to speed up the tempo. The Cheesemakers had multiple hard runs at the goal and the defensive pressure picked up.

Dan Becker, who has played well as goalkeeper all year, made multiple saves, including a jumping block and two diving stops in the first half.

"He's doing a very good job. I'm very pleased with his efforts back there," Stamm said of Becker.

In the second half, the Cheesemakers pressured Stoughton continuously, but the Vikings always regrouped well on defense and broke down the attack.

"I think we were better athletes than they were. We were winning the ball more than they were, but we weren't handling the ball and taking advantage of the opportunities that we wanted to," Stamm said.

Becker, waiting patiently in front of the net on a Stoughton breakaway at the 6:40 mark in the second half, dove to make a one-on-one save at the net. But Becker was unable to handle the block, and Jake Wenzel knocked in the rebound to put the Vikings up 2-0.

Monroe pressed harder on the offensive end, particularly junior forward Andrew Aurit.

"Andrew Aurit is really pressuring the defense the whole time. He was just really going today and it's nice to see that. He gave himself opportunities," Stamm said.

Monroe's inability to collapse and swarm to the net has led to minimal scoring this season. The Cheesemakers (3-10, 0-5 Badger South) have scored only 17 goals in their 13 games - eight coming in the season-opener against Wisconsin Dells. Monroe has only one goal in five conference games.

"We're having difficulties getting a score, which is something we're working on in practice. We had some opportunities today, now we just have to get it in the net," Stamm said.

The Cheesemakers next host area rival Sugar River (5-5, 3-1 Capitol) at 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

"We have a little grudge to settle with Sugar River. They are the ones who knocked us out of the postseason a year ago," Stamm said.

October 2nd home Sugar River 

Raiders get lone goal in heated win over Monroe

Adam Krebs

MONROE - On senior night, the Cheesemaker veterans tried to push their team to a much-needed win against rival Sugar River. In their pushing for a goal, the two teams began pushing each other.

The Raiders came out on top of the shoving match in the end in a 1-0 contest.

A funky goal in the 13th minute of the first half by Dylan Bigler was the game-winner.

"I really meant to cross the ball, but it went in and I was really pumped," Bigler said.

Monroe (3-11, 0-5 Badger South) came out as hard and motivated as it has all season. The team has worked hard lately on pressuring the goal and crashing to the ball.

"I thought we were keeping (the ball) on their side more than they were keeping it on our side," Monroe head coach Tony Stamm said. "We had an awful lot of opportunities - at least three right in front of their net and within inches from going in the net."

For Sugar River, it was the grit and dirt of preparing for playoffs - and playing a rival - that made them dig just a little bit deeper.

"We didn't play our best out there, but we had a lot of guts out there and everyone was trying their effort. We played tough and physical," Sugar River sweeper Caleb Mabis said.

After Bigler's goal with 27:30 left in the first half, Monroe went onto the attack. Junior Andrew Aurit, senior Jordan Steiner and a slew of Cheesemakers pressured deep into the Raiders zone. Mabis and goalkeeper Eric Liegel did as well to keep Monroe from tying the game.

"Our defense played pretty good. Once we got the goal I was feeling pretty confident," Liegel said.

Between the two teams attacking and defending the ball, hard tackles and slides mixed in with pushing down the sidelines and bumping on headers led to several heated moments on the field.

"Both teams were getting physical and it just got over-heated at times. But we did a good job keeping our cool for the most part," Mabis said.

Sugar River's Mike Vetterli and Zach Luchsinger each got yellow cards.

In the end, though, it was Sugar River that finished on top.

"We've been spending a lot of time on pressuring and shooting in practice. And passing and working the ball up field - that's what we've been concentrating on," Stamm said. "Our guys played really good, we just didn't have the ball go into the net."

Stamm also made note of senior sweeper Brandon Wilson's play in the game. Wilson was all over the field and had several good throw-ins and passing kicks as well as playing great defense in the game.

"This was a big win. It helps us with seeding, and it helps that it was against our rivals," Bigler said of the victory.

The Cheesemakers next play at Janesville Parker at noon on Saturday. Sugar River travels to Lake Mills next Tuesday before ending its regular season Oct. 14 at home against Lodi.

"One thing we have to work on is our temper - we were yelling at the refs a lot. We just have to work on our overall skills, too," Mabis said of the remainder of the season.

Monroe's junior varsity team won 3-0 to improve to 8-2-2 on the season. Kyle Bruce, Zach Farrar and Tim Sanft scored for the Cheesemakers.

October 4th Janesville Parker Invite 

Flip of the coin drops Cheese into second place
Monroe finishes 2-1 and in three-team tie at Janesville

By Times staff

JANESVILLE - A hard day's work came down to a flip of the coin Saturday for the Monroe boys soccer team.

The Cheesemakers won two of three games Saturday in the Janesville Parker Invitational. That put them in a three-team tie for the event championship, which was settled by a coin flip.

In the end, the coin flipped in Sheboygan Falls' favor for first place, and Monroe finished second in the four-team invitational.

Sheboygan Falls was the only team Monroe couldn't get a score against Saturday. The Cheesmakers lost their first game of the day, 1-0.

But things turned around starting with the second game, in which Monroe beat host Janesville Parker 3-2. Kelli Isaj scored the first goal for the Cheesemakers in the 25th minute of the first half. Monroe's second goal came just 1:55 into the second half, when Godi Brandli put the checkered ball into the back of the net. Andrew Aurit got on the board just over two minutes later to secure the lead and the win.

In the third game of the day, Monroe knocked off Elkhorn, 1-0. Jon Elmer took a pass from Isaj and scored in the 12th minute of the game.

With a three-team tie for first place, the original tiebreaker cut the first- and second-place teams to Monroe and Sheboygan Falls. A coin flip decided the overall champion.

Cheesemaker head coach Tony Stamm said he was happy with his team's performance.

The Cheesemakers (5-11, 0-5 Badger South) play next at Monona Grove on Tuesday in a conference showdown.

In the junior-varsity tournament, Monroe beat Sheboygan Falls 2-1, Parker in an overtime shootout, and Elkhorn, 2-0, for the title.  The JV's record improves to 11-2-2 on the season.

October 7th (JV) and 9th (V) at Monona Grove

Monroe lets Monona Grove slip away early, 2-1

By Times staff

MONONA - With the field still soggy and muddy from Tuesday's rains, the postponed boys soccer matchup between Monona Grove and Monroe made for a sloppy affair Thursday.

Monona Grove used two first-half goals to hold off the Cheesemakers 2-1 in a Badger South conference game.

"We had real trouble getting out grip on the field in the first half," Monroe head coach Tony Stamm said. "They played football on (the field) last night and really tore up the middle of the field on the crown. By halftime, we figured out our adjustments with the passing game and controlling the ball."

The Silver Eagles scored at the 17:34 mark in the first half on a goal by Sabastian Xiong. Just 17 minutes later, Eli Snyder gave the Silver Eagles a 2-0 lead.

Jon Elmer put one into the net for the Cheesemakers at the 60:37 mark of the second half, but the damage was already done.

With about 1:30 left to play, Stamm pulled Danny Becker out from the goal in an attempt to tie the score. Deep in Monona Grove territory, the Silver Eagles regained possession and dumped a ball over the heads of Monroe's defenders. With an open shot at the net, an MG player just tried to put enough English on the ball to seal the win. Becker, taking lessons from Usain Bolt, sprinted back to the goal out of nowhere and pushed the ball out of harm's way with a foot to spare.

Becker finished the game with 14 saves.

 The JV played Tuesday in the pouring rain and came away with a 3-3 tie.  After having 2-0 and 3-1 leads, Monona Grove came back and scored twice in the final minutes to secure the tie.  Monroe's JV record now stands at 11-2-3 on the season!

October 14th home McFarland

Final count looks good for MHS on new scoreboard

Adam Krebs

MONROE - The Monroe boys soccer team knocked off McFarland, 2-0, in a game that was more than meaningful Tuesday.

Monroe (6-13, 0-6 Badger South) had only beaten McFarland once before in program history. The Cheesemakers also are gearing up for playoffs. And on top all of that, they were dedicating their brand new scoreboard - a project that had been in the works for years.

Junior forward Andrew Aurit made sure the scoreboard was working properly with 9 minutes, 7 seconds left to play in the first half.

Monroe had nearly scored moments earlier on a breakaway, but McFarland's goalie came up with a kick save that let the ball trickle just inches from the left post and out of bounds. On the ensuing corner kick, the Cheesemakers sent a hard shot at goal, but the keeper denied the first shot. Then Aurit swung his lower limb into the rebounded ball and sent it to the back of the net.

Headed into halftime, head coach Tony Stamm and assistant coach Tony Vasquez tried to keep their players calm, cool and collected by giving advice and encouragement.

In the second half, Monroe continued to dominate the ball from the point of attack.

"We did a very good job of controlling the center today. We had a lot of guys going towards the goal, and that helped control the ball in the zone enough to keep going after the goal," Stamm said.

With less than 18 minutes left to play in the second half, Monroe again had another breakaway opportunity. The Cheesemaker front line received a lovely pass inside the box from midfield with a 2-on-2 advantage against a defender and the goalie. As a Monroe player geared up to shoot, his legs were taken out from underneath him.

Penalty kick.

Brandon Wilson, a senior midfielder and sweeper, got the call to kick to the open net.

"I kept thinking to myself, 'Just keep it low. Keep it low, keep it low,' " Stamm said. "We do a pretty good job on penalty kicks, but sometimes we like to get our head up and send it over. But Brandon took his time and did an excellent job with it."

Wilson did just that and sent the ball beyond McFarland's reach to give the Cheese a 2-0 lead with just 17 minutes and change to play.

That was all Monroe needed.

"Our defense was great. Danny Becker was outstanding in goal again,"  Stamm said.  "We're still giving up a lot of free kicks, and we have to work on that."

Monroe next likely will host Reedsburg in the Badger Conference crossover Challenge, though the opponent is yet to be determined.

From there, Monroe will move on to WIAA tournament play, where they hope to continue to improve and move on every day.

"This should help us a lot in the seeding. The seed meeting for playoffs is (Wednesday).  And beating McFarland should definitely help with that," Stamm said.

Monroe's junior-varsity team lost 1-0 Tuesday and brought their overall record to 11 wins, 3 losses and 3 ties.

October 16th home Reedsburg

Cheesemakers up to the Challenge

By Times staff

REEDSBURG - Monroe senior Brandon Wilson scored two goals to lift the Cheesemakers to a 4-0 win over Reedsburg in the inaugural boys soccer Badger Challenge.

Monroe (7-13) got off to a fast start, with Wilson scoring an unassisted goal in the 14th minute.

The Cheesemakers exploded for three second-half goals. Wilson scored his second goal off a direct kick at 43:82.

Monroe senior Jordan Steiner gave the Cheesemakers a 3-0 lead scoring on an assist from Andrew Aurit at 44:10.

Aurit tacked on an insurance goal in the 48th minute.

Monroe junior goalkeeper Jordan Steurer recorded the Cheesemakers' second straight shutout with five saves.

Monroe will host McFarland in a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal game at 4 p.m. Oct. 23 at Honey Creek Park. It was just three days ago that the Cheesemakers defeated the Spartans 2-0.

"We are all excited to see McFarland again since we beat them last time," Monroe coach Tony Stamm said.

 Monroe's junior-varsity team won 5-0 Thursday and brought their overall record to 12 wins, 3 losses and 3 ties.

Times photo: Adam Krebs Andrew Aurit celebrates after his goal in the second half of Monroe’s regional-opening loss Thursday.

Cheese bounced in 2 OT
McFarland knocks Monroe out of regionals, 3-2

Adam Krebs

MONROE - The Cheesemakers' boys soccer season came to a bitter, cold end Thursday. With the wind blowing and the rain falling hard, it took nearly 98 minutes of play for the decisive score.

Unfortunately for Monroe, it was scored by McFarland, a team the Cheese had beaten a week earlier, for a 3-2 Monroe loss in the first round of the WIAA regional.

"We're really disappointed," Monroe head coach Tony Stamm said. "We were really looking forward to this game and concentrating on it - really taking it seriously."

Monroe scored the first goal of the game right away. Jon Elmer slipped the checkered ball past McFarland's goalkeeper in just the second minute of the game.

The two teams battled the rest of the half, but neither scored. Monroe had a chance to score on a spot kick with less than 20 seconds left to play, but a substitution was in order, delaying the Cheese nearly 15 seconds to kick the ball. Monroe couldn't get a rebound and the clock ran out.

To start the second half, McFarland came out swinging, scored its first goal just 30 seconds in.

"It was a bit of a shock. I didn't think they would come out like that," Stamm said.

Monroe answered right back, as junior forward Andrew Aurit sliced through the defense and put the Cheese back on top, 2-1.

"It was a great individual effort by Andrew," Stamm said. "Everyone was feeling good at that point."

Unfortunately for Monroe, the lead wouldn't last.

McFarland added a second score just a few minutes later to tie it up.

Wet and chilled, many Cheesemakers started slipping on the wet field, a few taking an extra long time to get up as cramping soon became an issue because of the weather - and length of the game.

In the first overtime, both teams had opportunities to score, but both goalkeepers came up big - Monroe keeper Dan Becker three times in that short period alone.

In the second overtime, one before a shootout, Monroe's best scoring opportunity passed just beyond the far post. McFarland's didn't. The Spartans got the ball into a cluttered group of white and red jersey's just in front of the goal. Somehow a Spartan got the leg on the ball that knocked it beyond Becker and into the net.

"It was pretty hard to see from where we were at. Even the scorer's table couldn't see it and we had to ask McFarland who scored," Stamm said. "We had hoped to get a clear-out, but that didn't happen."

Monroe's season is over, but with the success of the junior-varsity and a large group of returning varsity players, 2009 looks like it may yield better results.

 

Congrats to the HS Girls in winning the Whitewater Invitational tournament on May 2nd!  Also for defeating Sauk 5-2 on May-6, and defeating Evansville 3-1 on May-19 at Honey Creek!

The Monroe Girls HS Soccer Team defeated Evansville in the first round of the play-offs 2-0 on May 22nd.  This is the first play-off win for any Monroe HS Soccer Team!  Way to go Lady Cheesemakers!

The Junior Varsity Team

Aug 21, 2007 Vs Wisconsin Dells

MONROE -- While he'll take a 1-0 start as a varsity head coach, this wasn't how Tony Stamm wanted to kick things off. The Cheesemakers' first-year coach skippered his club to a 15-0 victory Tuesday over second-year program Wisconsin Dells, a club that was hampered by a mononucleosis case that kept several athletes off the pitch.

After Nick Hendrickson opened the scoring 3 minutes and 28 seconds in off a helper by Danny Becker, Andrew Aurit flashed Marco Mimbela-like sleight of foot as he scored at 5:16 and 8:20. Both goals were assisted by senior Dylan Boehme. Matt Farrar and Michael Gross, the taller but equally red-haired brother of Jake Gross, also scored back-to-back goals in the first half. Stamm subbed liberally after the third goal and sat his starters the last 20 minutes of the first half.

Farrar found Aurit from midfield early in the second half, and the sophomore dropped a couple of moves through the teeth of the defense before pushing the ball past the goalie to get his hat trick and get out.

"We got him his hat trick and then we quickly got all of our starters out of there," Stamm said. Becker duplicated Farrar's and Gross' feats in the second half before the starters sat out the last nearly 30 minutes.

Macedonian exchange student Keli Isaj dealt two assists and scored the final goal.

Boehme registered four points with a trio of assists and a second-half goal. Farrar matched the four-spot as he notched a pair of second-half assists. Goalkeeper Nate Barta made three saves and recorded his first clean sheet after pitching two shutouts last year.

However, Stamm immediately recognized some areas to improve before the squad travels to Sauk Prairie on Thursday.

"We have to be able to get the ball to the outside. We're trying too hard to work through the middle," he said. But the coach isn't concerned with a locker room full of outspoken seniors, who are eager to break down each performance. "Everybody has a lot of input, and it's an open atmosphere for anybody to contribute," Stamm said.

Nick (1), Andrew (3), Matt Farrar (2), Michael Gross (2), Kyle Klopfenstein (1), Logan Stamm (1), Dan Becker (2), Dylan Boehme (1), Brandon Wilson (1) and Keli Isaj (1). Next Up: Madison Edgewood, Away

Aug 28, 2007 Vs Edgewood

MADISON -- What a difference a year has made for Monroe's boys soccer team.

The Cheesemakers poured on the offensive intensity until the proverbial cup overflowed in a 3-1 victory over defending Badger South champion Madison Edgewood on Tuesday night.

Foreign exchange student Keli Isaj started the scoring just inside the 30-minute mark off a feed by Matt Farrar with shot that snuck inside the top corner, and Andrew Aurit picked up where he left off last week.

After registering a hat trick in Monroe's season-opening 15-0 victory over a shorthanded Wisconsin Dells club, Aurit took a gift from his goalkeeper and didn't disappoint.

After corralling a shot, Cheesemakers netminder Nate Barta let a long pass fly as Aurit made his run and broke free from the defense, ultimately sending a shot past a helpless Mark Binkowski to double the lead with just 15 seconds left in the first half.

"Our forwards really kept them off balance all night long," first-year Cheesemakers coach Tony Stamm said.

Farrar padded the lead with a third goal on a penalty kick in the 56th minute, and Barta saved eight of the nine shots he faced. Reaching the conference schedule spelled disaster for Monroe last season, so getting off on the right foot couldn't have felt better for Stamm and company.

"It was a real relief off the players to get that first conference win," Stamm said. Monroe hopes to stay hot when the Badger North's Baraboo visits Honey Creek Park on Thursday.

JV Ties Edgewood 0-0

Aug 30, 2007 Vs Baraboo @ Honey Creek

MONROE -- The Cheesemakers soccer team is showing it can play anybody's game.

After jumping out a quick 2-0 lead Thursday in 11 minutes behind goals by Andrew Aurit and Kyle Klopfenstein, Monroe saw its Badger Conference crossover foe Baraboo turn up the heat. "We came out really hot," Monroe head coach Tony Stamm said. "They got riled up and very physical."

You've Just Been KLOPPED!

Baraboo's increased physicality led to two goals and a tie score at halftime. The pressure carried on throughout the second half, but in extra time, Monroe's Nick Hendrickson headed in a ball from just outside the goal that was sent by Matt Farrar, to give the Cheesemakers a 3-2 victory and push their winning streak to three games as Badger South Conference play opens next week.

"This was our toughest win," Stamm said. "We were sweating it out." Monroe (3-0) jumps right into conference play against a very talented Verona team that should be right in the thick of the title hunt. "That (game) is going to be a gut-checker," Stamm said.

JV Loses to Baraboo 3-2

JV Loses a Tough one to Verona

Sep 6, 2007 Vs Sugar River

BELLEVILLE -- The right column stays clean for another day. It's just the furthest right column that picks up a mark.

The Monroe soccer squad found some energy in a reserve tank as the Cheesemakers scored two late second-half goals to earn a 2-2 tie against the Sugar River Raiders on the road Thursday evening.

Sophomore Michael Gross tallied the equalizer in the 76th minute when he lofted a shot to the upper left corner that was headed in by a Raider defender who did what he could to secure his team's lead.

The Cheesemakers remain undefeated under new head coach Tony Stamm at 4-0-1. Stamm was happy that his boys overcame the more quick and physical Sugar River team to get a tie.

"We came out a little sluggish," Stamm said. "We got them tired out and we finally got to passing the ball."

Nick Hendrickson broke the 2-0 score in the 74th minute when Tuesday's hero against Verona, Matt Farrar, got the senior the ball for a goal.

JV Defeats Sugar River 2-0

Sep 8, 2007 Vs Platteville

PLATTEVILLE -- The Cheesemakers narrowly escaped with a tie Saturday, thanks to some heads-up play by Kyle Klopfenstein.

Monroe got an equalizing goal from its senior midfielder in the 76th minute as Klopfenstein maneuvered a well-placed header past the keeper off a slick corner kick by Mike Gross. The tally tied the game at one goal apiece.

Platteville, which scored its goal in the 52nd minute, spoiled many of the frenzied Cheesemakers' scoring opportunities with sound defense. Nate Barta made two saves for Monroe in net.

Monroe's junior-varsity squad won its match 3-1. The Cheesemakers head to Oregon for a 7 p.m. Badger South tilt Tuesday night.

JV Defeats Platteville 3-1

Sep 11, 2007 Vs Oregon

OREGON -- The Panthers did an awful lot with 5 minutes in handing the shorthanded Cheesemakers their first soccer loss of the season Tuesday night.

Oregon hung two goals on the board in the first 5 minutes en route to a 4-0 victory over Monroe (4-1-2, 2-1 Badger South). Sam Krueger got the victors on the board 2 minutes and 23 seconds into the match, and Dustin Wiskes doubled the lead at 4:02 as both goals came off Justin Marchant assists.

Marchant also scored an unassisted tally in the 34th minute.

"Oregon was a very good team," Monroe coach Tony Stamm said. "They are a ball-controlling team with good passing and moving rhythms."

Nate Barta made five saves in the goal for Monroe, which was missing Dan Becker and Patrick Gellings due to injuries. Both have been integral in the squad's early-season success.

The Cheese hopes to rise back to form Thursday with a non-conference tilt against Evansville at Honey Creek Park.

Sep 13, 2007 Vs Evansville @ Honey Creek

MONROE -- Home cooking never tasted so good for Monroe soccer, and the satisfaction showed up on the scoreboard in a 4-2 victory over Evansville on Thursday.

JV Defeats Evansville 4-3

Sep 17, 2007 Vs Sauk Prairie

Sep 18, 2007 Vs McFarland @ Honey Creek

MONROE -- Don't make Kyle Klopfenstein angry. You wouldn't like him when he's angry.

The Cheesemakers' senior defender was livid on the Honey Creek Park pitch after teammate Luke Calaway was given a questionable yellow card in the 18-yard box after taking down McFarland's Andrew Shep in a scoreless game. The foul lead to Shep beating an overworked Nate Barta with a penalty kick to the lower left corner in the 73rd minute Tuesday evening.

Sep 25, 2007 Vs Stoughton

Oct 2, 2007 Vs Monona Grove @ Honey Creek

MONROE — Rich Plier enjoyed a pleasant surprise on a trip to the storage room last week at Monona Grove High School.

The boys soccer coach found and dusted off the Badger Conference's boys soccer championship trophy from 1987.

On Tuesday night, the Silver Eagles beat Monroe 1-0 and earned a shot at another conference trophy — their first since.

The game's decisive play came in the 22nd minute when Monona Grove junior Nick Zupan centered the ball to Nick Amelse.

The senior beat Monroe senior goalkeeper Nate Barta to the ball, heading it into the net.

"We played a great game and controlled the ball really well," Plier said. "We just didn't finish well. We were only up one. All it would have taken was a mistake or a bad bounce and Monroe would have been right back in it."

The victory moved Monona Grove into second place in the Southern Badger Conference. The Silver Eagles face first-place Stoughton next Tuesday with a share of the title on the line.

Stoughton remained in front Tuesday with a 2-1 victory over Madison Edgewood.

"We didn't focus on any one player in particular preparing for this," Plier said. "We just knew we had to win our next two conference games and we'd have the title. That's what we're out for."

Monona Grove dominated play, putting 15 shots on the Cheesemakers' goal.

Barta was up for the challenge.

"I've learned not to be scared," Barta said. "I know not to hesitate. I've just got to go after it."

He went after the ball, finishing with 14 saves. He came up big in breakaway situations and corner kicks, but his most spectacular save came with just more than 20 minutes left. Silver Eagles junior forward Sabastian Xiong got possession of the ball just inside the goal box and ripped a shot high, but Barta stretched to knock the ball just over the crossbar.

"Barta is a really solid keeper," Plier said. "I give him a lot of credit."

Monroe's best chance to tie the score came from sophomore forward Andrew Aurit 3 minutes later.

Aurit took a shot from 20 yards out and hit the crossbar. Monroe senior forward Matt Farrar and Aurit — the conference's top two goal-scorers, admitted Monona Grove's high-pressure defense caused problems.

"We did good today, but we lost control of the ball a lot," added Barta. "We stuck with them, we can play. But they were a better team."

Oct 4, 2007 Vs Mt. Horeb

Monroe traveled North to take on host Mt Horeb, a tough opponent in the past.  This game had the makings of a game that could go either way, going to the half at a 0 - 0 tie.  But midway through the second half, Mt Horeb would put one into the net for the 1-0 lead.  And although Monroe threw the kitchen sink at this opponent, they could not get the equalizer and cam away with the 1-0 loss.  Their record now stands at 7 - 4 - 3, with the Janesville Invite up coming.

Oct 6, 2007 Vs Janesville Parker Invite

9:30 Vs Janesville Parker

The opening game was against Parker, whom Monroe defeated 7-0 just a couple weeks ago.  But this time, Janesville was at home and ready to play!  At two minutes into this one, Parker had a shot clank of the iron and keep the game scoreless until Michael Gross served up a corner that Klop controlled with his feet and blasted into the net for the 1-0 lead.  Then just before the half, Dan assisted to Nick who made the score 2-0 into the half.

One minute into the second half, Michael again was assisting captain Klop for yet another goal.  Parker earned a "gift" PK late in the second half to make the final tally 3-1 in game 1.  Monroe earned 3 points for the regualtion victory!

12:00 Vs Elkhorn

In game 2, Monroe took on Elkhorn, a victor in their opening game in a shootout against Sheboygan Falls.  The winner of this game would be in the driver seat to win the tourney.  As the game rolled along, it had the makings of a disappointing loss, as Elkhorn scored early to take the 1-0 lead.  Monroe continued to have opportunities, but the ball did not hit the back of the net...

Not until the combo from game 1 came to life!n  With just a couple minbutes remaining, Michael crossed to the front of the goal where Klop sunk the game tying goal.  The last minute heroics continued for the Cheesemakers!  But the regulation winner could not be found, so off to the shootout they went!

Monroe won the coin flip and chose to kick second.  Here is a frame by frame description of the shootout!

SF shoots and scores, just under Barta's right arm for the 1-0 lead 

Brandon Wilson's blast just under the cross bar tied the shootout at 1-1 

SF shoots and scores, just under Barta's right arm again for the 2-1 lead 

Nick's blast found the back of the net and tied shootout at 2-2 

SF shoots and scores, to gain a 3-2 shootout lead 

Klop would erase the deficit with his successful PK and tie things up at 3-3 

SF shoots and scores, to gain a 4-3 shootout lead 

Michael, the assist king, stepped up and calmly tied the shootout at 4-4 

As SF #5 stepped to take his shot, things seemed a little different - a little more tense! 

SF's 5th shot missed the goal, setting the table for Captain Matt to convert.... 

Matt struck the ball, beat the keeper and gave Monroe the 5-4 Shootout victory and 2 tourney points, bringing Monroe's total to 5 after 2 games. 

Keeper Barta watches as Matt's PK sails into the goal and gives Monroe the 5-4 PK Shootout Victory

2:00 Vs Sheboygan Falls

This is it - the final tournament game.  And Monroe came out and took care of business!  At 2 minutes, Andrew passed to Dan who scored the first goal of the game!  At 14 minutes, Klop headed a ball to Dylan, who passed to Nick for the score and 2-0 lead.  Monroe was on their way to bringing home the first varsity tourney victory.  At 17 minutes, Brandon fed Hot Nick who scored for the Monroe 3-0 lead at the half.

Sheboygan scored just after half to make the score 3-1, but at 45 minutes, Nick received a pass from Brad and scored his third goalof the game, 4th of the tourney for the 4-1 Monroe victory!

This tournament enabled Monroe to post the best ever varsity record at 10-4-3 with at least 3 games remaining.

Oct 11, 2007 Vs Waunakee

With the play-offs just around the corner and the decisions already made on the seedings, this game was a trial and error game for the Cheesemakers.  While some things looked good, some things didn't work in the 5-1 defeat to Waunakee.  Best news of the evening was that the Cheesemakers would come away with no injuries after this tough game!

Oct 13, 2007 Vs Platteville @ Honey Creek

Point Earners

Trevor Arn

Andrew Aurit

Nate Barta

Dan Becker

Dylan Blum

Dylan Boehme

Luke Callaway   

Matt Farrar 2Y    Shootout

Patrick Gellings

Mason Goff

Michael Gross  Shootout

Nick Hendrickson   Shootout

Keli Isaj

Kyle Klopfenstein    Shootout

Connor Lind 1Y 1R

Logan Stamm

Jordan Steiner

Brad Zumkehr 1Y

Welcome to the site where you can check on the results of our Monroe Lady Cheesemakers!

Beth Hoesley
Pam Lehman
Nora Perry
Erin Solawetz

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Saturday, October 14
Monroe Cheesemakers Varsity Soccer Team

Fall, 2006 Season

Coached by John Harris
Yr   #   Name
11      Nate Barta
10  25 Luke Calaway
11  40 Dylan Boehme
12  13 Bill Farrar
11  17 Matt Farrar 1Y
12  20 Michael Fricks
12  8  Kyle Frint
12  10 Tim Gellings
12  47 Justin Griffin
11  44 Nick Hendrickson
11  NA Bill Hubbard
11  32 Kyle Klopfenstein 5Y
12  21 Ben Knaus
12  11 Derek Kundert
12  12 Zach Lavoie 2Y
12  7  Dan Lehman 1Y
11  18 Connor Lind
12  9  Marco Mimbela 4Y
12  6  Adam Schutz
10  33 Jordan Steiner
11  16 Brad Zumkehr 1Y

41 Goals For
53 Goals Against

Check out the Badger South Scoring Leaders! Go Cheesemakers

Click here to view the   Badger South Standings

Team Manager: Bill Hubbard and Liz Knutson

Click here to view the   Photo Album Page

Have more pictures to share or game write-up additions?
Send the webmaster an email!


Aug-22 Away at Reedsburg @ 5:00
WIN 2-1! Monroe traveled to Reedsburg to take on the Beavers. At 12 minutes into the contest, Derek Kundert mad a nice pass to Marco, sprining Marco on his way towards the goal. Marco unleashed a shot that the keeper had no chance stopping to give Monroe the 1-0 lead. And that would be the score at the half.

The second half looked as though Monroe might win this one 1-0, but with 15 minutes remaining, the Beavers capitalized on our inability to clear and tied the game at one. Then, with just moments remaining, Monroe once again was applying pressure and Brad Zumkehr took a shot that found its way into the goal giving Monroe its 2-1 victory! Monroe has tied their total wins of last year with this opening game victory!



Aug-24 HOME De Forest @ 5:00
From The Monroe Times:
MONROE -- The Monroe Cheesemakers soccer team is showing promise in the early season. Last year at this time, the young Monroe squad was licking its wounds after lopsided losses. But two games into the 2006 season, the Cheesemakers are still without a loss.

At Thursday's home opener, Monroe played DeForest to a 2-2 tie. Monroe senior Marco Mimbela scored a goal five minutes into the game and added a second goal in the early second half, giving him three goals in two games.

Monroe (1-0-1) controlled much of the early part of the game, getting several scoring chances. Mimbela scored at the 4:45 mark after forward Dan Lehman hit the right post with a shot.

"We're looking a lot better than last year," Monroe coach John Harris said. "We're living up to our physical capabilities, but we're not quite there yet mentally. You have such a short amount of time to get ready before the season, and that's biting us right now. One day it's going to click."

Monroe had several other chances to add a second goal but could never punch another one in during the first half. "I think if we could have put another goal in we could have sealed the deal in the first half," Harris said. "But unfortunately we let them get back into it with a first half goal."

DeForest, which lost 5-1 against Madison Edgewood on Tuesday, managed only five shots on goal in the first half to Monroe's eight. Norskie junior Taylor Stofflett scored the equalizer at the 17:46 mark, and the score remained 1-1 at halftime.

"At moments tonight we looked really good and exactly how I want to look," DeForest coach Jon Rouse said. "Again we came out flat-footed -- the same problem we had the other night."

Rouse was impressed with Monroe's steady play. "Monroe came out hard," he said. "They showed that they wanted to play right away. The two forwards that they have (Mimbela and Lehman) are very fast. We're very lucky that they didn't get another goal or two in the first half. To our guys' credit, we got things together and our captains took charge."

Mimbela put the Cheesemakers ahead 2-1 about 11 minutes into the second half. He received a long pass, touched it past the defense and ran past the defenders for a one-on-one opportunity against the goalie. His low shot from the left side found the back of the net.

"We're playing good," Mimbela said. "We just have to keep playing hard. We missed a lot of shots." DeForest tied the game on a goal by junior Michael Bollig. Bollig's shot came after a throw-in.

Monroe plays at the Madison La Follette Invitational on Saturday. "If we win two, then we play a third for the championship," Harris said. "I want to play three."

Aug-26 Away Madison LaFollette Quad @ 9:00
By Times staff
MADISON -- After a sluggish loss in their first game on Saturday, the Monroe Cheesemakers' soccer team bounced back for a 6-0 win at Madison La Follette.

Playing at 9 a.m., Monroe played a foul-filled game against the host team. Trailing 2-0 in the second half, senior Tim Gellings scored a goal for Monroe with ten minutes left in the game. But the Cheesemakers couldn't put in the equalizer, losing 2-1. "I thought we could have done a lot better," Monroe coach John Harris said.

In the second game, senior Marco Mimbela scored four goals as Monroe beat Dodgeville/Mineral Point 6-0. Dan Lehman and Ben Knauss had the other two goals. "We were physically stronger than they were," Harris said. "They had a young team, much like we were last year."

Monroe starts a tough stretch in its schedule this week, playing twice on the road. On Tuesday, Monroe plays at Janesville Parker. On Thursday, the Cheesemakers travel to Mt. Horeb. Both games begin at 7 p.m., with a junior-varsity game preceding.

Monroe is now 2-1-1 on the young season.

Aug-29 Away Janesville Parker Varisty @ 7:00
Monroe traveled to Janesville Parker to take on the Vikings. The game started out with much of the play in the middle of the field to in front of keeper Nate Barta. But at 30 minutes, Dan Lehman worked the ball down the right side and sprung a thru ball in behind the defense to set Marco free. The rest is history. Marco dribbled in and passed the ball by the keeper for the 1-0 Monroe lead. Less than one minute later, following the Janesville kick-off, Brad Zumkehr cleared the ball down the left side, once again setting Marco in motion. This time, as the defender chased Marco, Marco passed the ball to an open Dan who put the second goal in the net for Monroe.

At the beginning of the second half, Monroe earned a corner kick. Bill Farrar raced in to take the kick, and sent the ball in the area of Marco. Marco's quick shot gave Monroe a 3-0 lead. The final score for Monroe came at the 57 minute mark, when Ben Knaus directed a free kick onto the head of Kyle Klopfenstein. His redirection scored Monroe's 4th goal.

The Cheesemakers held on to earn their third win and back-to-back shutouts by Nate Barta! Excellent team play in this game boys. Good luck at Mt. Horeb, Thursday.

News from The Monroe Times...
By Mike Leverton
Times Sports Editor
MONROE -- What a difference a year makes.

Last season, the Monroe boys soccer team struggled mightily in its first full season as a varsity program. The Cheesemakers earned only one win a year ago.
Fast forward to this season -- the team has the same coach and same players, with the addition of one transfer student. But the early results say this year's squad is ready to make some noise.

Perhaps it already has, compiling a 3-1-1 record. Forward Marco Mimbela, who attended school in Brodhead for five years after moving there from his native Peru, has had no trouble fitting in with his new teammates. Mimbela has nine goals in the early going. Mimbela offers a talent no coach can teach -- speed.

"I've never played with anyone as fast as Marco before," senior Tim Gellings said. "Now we have someone with phenomenal speed up front that we can get the ball to and who can put the ball in the back of the net."

Mimbela transferred from Brodhead to Monroe for one reason -- to play soccer. He joined the Rebels' high school soccer team in mid-season last year and got the itch to play competitive soccer again. "I missed the competition and playing on the big field," Mimbela said. "I've played soccer since I was 3 years old. Then I stopped because Brodhead didn't have a soccer team. I started playing Rebels last year at the end of the season, and I really liked playing again."

Undoubtedly, more than one player has contributed to Monroe's improvement. Heading into the program's inaugural varsity season last year, the Cheesemakers had plenty of unknowns. They hadn't faced varsity competition before, and they didn't know what to expect from new coach John Harris.

The Cheesemakers lost only six seniors from last year and replaced them with 14 freshmen, all of whom are competing on the junior-varsity team. The JV squad also has seen success, winning its first three games.

Heading into the first day of practice this year, the returning players knew what coach Harris expected. They came back in better shape as a whole and were as prepared as possible for Harris' emphasis on conditioning. At the first practice, the team ran six miles.

"Most of us did a lot of preseason training," Gellings said, "doing a lot of running. So we were already in a lot better shape. We knew where (coach Harris) was coming from and what he wanted." The team's camaraderie was evident well before the first practice. The players got together to watch the World Cup, even if they weren't all cheering for the same team.

"I was cheering for Brazil," Mimbela said. Another improved area for the Cheesemakers is its defense. The team earned its first shutout at Saturday's Madison La Follette tournament, a 6-0 win over Dodgeville-Mineral Point. Then on Tuesday, the Cheesemakers defeated Janesville Parker 4-0 for their second straight shutout. "The defense was outstanding," Harris said. "They worked their tails off."

Two defenders even won a bet with Harris. Harris told Matt Farrar and Ben Knaus before the Dodgeville-Mineral Point game that if either of them scored a goal, he would buy each of them a box of Milky Ways. Knaus responded by scoring a goal.

Junior Nate Barta is getting more comfortable in front of the goal, and last year's goalie, Dan Lehman, is shining in his new role up front at forward. Lehman has scored a goal in two straight games. Now, there's no question among the Cheesemakers whether or not they can win. They are going into games expecting to win -- and are disappointed when they don't.

"We went to the tournament last Saturday and won one game," Gellings said. "I think that gave us a confidence boost because coming off all those losses last year dragged us down. We're definitely competitors now this year."

Mimbela said he has no doubt the Cheesemakers should have beaten Madison La Follette, the only team to hand Monroe a loss. If the wins keep coming, perhaps more Milky Ways will too.

Aug-31 Away Mt. Horeb @ 7:00
Monroe goes to Mt. Horeb, takes on the team and the referees, plays a double overtime match (100 minutes), and comes away with a 2-2 tie. Monroe, this game shows that you guys can play with these other HS teams. Great Job Cheesemakers! After falling behind 2-0 at the 17 minute mark, it looked like the boys were going to drop this game. But they kept battling and battling. Then, just two minutes into the second half, Tim passed to Marco and Marco beat the keeper to cut the deficit to 2-1. Then, at the 57 minute mark, Tim beat the keeper to tie the score at 2-2. Officiating was questionable all game long, with many of the calls looking like "home field cooking". But the Cheesemakers are one tough group of boys, battling back to a 2-2 tie.

Hats off to Nate Barta and the defense (Ben, Jordan, Zach, Matt, Connor and Bill (10 minutes)). Tim and the midfielders, Derek, Adam, Nick and Kyle - Way to Play Tough! And forwards Dan, Marco, Brad and Luke - way to keep the pressure on! You might get them again in the Mt. Horeb Invitational!

Monroe's record now stands at 3W - 1L - 2T. Exciting Soccer!

Sep-05 Away Stoughton @ 7:00
By Mike Leverton

Times Sports Editor

STOUGHTON -- As school started on Tuesday, the Monroe soccer team learned some valuable lessons.

Monroe's Dan Lehman, right, controls the ball while fending off a defender during Tuesday's Badger South opener at Stoughton. The Vikings began their defense of the conference title by beating the Cheesemakers handily, 4-0. For the first time all season, the Cheesemakers were never in the game in a 4-0 loss Tuesday to Badger South defending champion Stoughton.

"Perhaps the game will ground us a bit," Monroe coach John Harris said. "We didn't follow our system, and it showed. If we stick with it, we'll have better results."

Stoughton poured it on early against the slow-starting Cheesemakers. The Vikings struck at the 4:35 mark on a beautiful header by Malcom Calbert on a corner kick by Tyler Nordness. They added a second goal nine minutes later on a breakaway by sophomore Jake Thiermann.

"Unfortunately, our bad habits caught up with us in terms of starting slow," Harris said. "Maybe it was one of those letdown games, when you have a really hard match and you invest your heart and soul into it, and no matter what you do you can't get up for the next game."

Harris was referring to Monroe's 2-2 tie with perennial power Mount Horeb last Thursday. Monroe played two overtimes in that game to earn the tie.

On Tuesday, the Cheesemakers never really got going in the first half. The best scoring chances came off the leg of senior Marco Mimbela. At the 14-minute mark, Mimbela crossed the ball in front of the goal that the Stoughton goalie couldn't reach, but no one was able to corral it for a shot on goal.

A few minutes later, Mimbela had a close shot in a one-on-one situation with a goalie but his shot was stopped. Mimbela left the game moments later with a lower leg injury.

The Vikings added a third goal before halftime. After a Monroe pass was intercepted, Stoughton standout Josh Thiermann raced past everyone and beat goalie Nate Barta for a 3-0 lead. Stoughton coach David Wermuth said his team (4-1, 2-0 Badger South) has the goal of repeating as conference champions.

"We were moving the ball well in the middle," Wermuth said, "and Alex Mesdjian controlled the back. The defense held, and they didn't have many shots on goal." Stoughton added its final goal five minutes into the second half. Thiermann had space in front of Barta on the right side of the goal; but instead of shooting, he passed the ball to a teammate with a better angle, finding Calbert for his second goal of the game.

After making a mental mistake on the ensuing kickoff by picking up a teammate's pass with his hands, Barta responded well with some spectacular saves. Two minutes after the previous goal, Barta stopped Thiermann on a breakaway opportunity. Not long after that, he sniped the ball from a Stoughton player who appeared to have an easy shot at the goal. Barta didn't nab the ball with his initial dive, but crawled and stole it away at the last second.

Barta said the game was something the team can build on. "I think it was a great game to show that we still have a lot of work to do to," Barta said. "We won a few games, and we were feeling good, and it was a good time to get knocked down and start all over again." While the Cheesemakers played much better in the second half, they were never able to punch in a goal.

"We passed more and there was more talking (in the second half)," Barta said. "We hustled to the ball better." Monroe won the junior-varsity match 1-0 despite being outshot 20-3. After weathering three straight games away from home, Monroe hosts Platteville on Thursday in a non-conference game.

Sep-07 HOME Platteville @ 5:00
Write-up to follow: Monroe beats Platteville going away 3-1. After falling behind 1-0 at the 17 minute mark, Monroe storms back and scores three unanswered goals. Marco scores two and Kyle nets a header off a corner from Ben. Dan and Tim assisted on Marco's goals! Monroe is now 4W - 2L - 2T. Awesome boys!

Sep-12 HOME Oregon @ 5:00
Monroe played Oregon on a soaked Honey Creek field and and is taught a number of lessons. Oregon wins this one going away by a 5-0 victory over the Cheesemakers.

Sep-14 Away Evansville @ 5:00
What was expected to be a win turned into one ugly performance by the Cheesemakers. Evansville made some plays and scored two goals in the 2-0 win. Nate Barta kept the Cheesemakers close, but the offense never really got on track until late in the game. Keep working and good luck next week!

Sep-19 HOME Verona @ 5:00
Lost 5-0

Sep-23 Away Whitewater Tournament @ 10:00
Defeated Whitewater 3-2
Lost to Antioch 3-2

Goal scorers were: Marco with two, Brad, Dan and Tim with 1

Sep-26 Away Madison Edgewood Both Games @ 4:30
Lost 2-1. Marco scored the Cheesemaker's lone goal.

Oct-03 HOME Monona Grove @ 5:00
The Cheesemakers took on Monona Grove at Honey Creek and battled for 80 minutes. One minute into the game, MG was on instant attack and put one into the net for the early 1-0 lead. Monroe kept battling and at 24 minutes, Dylan chested a ball that ended up by Nick. Nick shot and put the ball into the net for the tying goal! Nice shot Nick! At 37 minutes, MG was on the attack and made a nice move around Nate for the 2-1 lead. And that was the score into the half.

30 seconds into the second half, Dan found himself off to the left of the MG keeper. Dan unleashed a beautiful shot that beat the keeper and found the back of the net for the tying score. The two teams battled back and forth with both teams missing scoring chances. But at 69 minutes, MG was able to score the tie breaking goal and win this game 3-2.

Oct-05 HOME Sugar River @ 4:30
Cheesemakers play the team they lost to last year 9-0, and improved! The final in this game was 4-0 Sugar River.

Oct-07 Away Platteville @ 10:00
Cheesemakers traveled to Platteville but come up short, 4-1. Marco Mimbela scored the lone goal for Monroe.

Oct-10 Away McFarland @ 5:00
MCFARLAND -- As its season approaches its close, Monroe's soccer squad put forth a performance that has proven far too familiar as of late.

McFarland took advantage of two turnovers deep in Monroe territory to hang a pair of scores in the first five minutes of the match en route to a 4-1 victory. Blake Beetham was the opportunist as he corralled both giveaways and put easy shots past helpless goalie Nate Barta.

"We have a really bad habit of giving up a goal really early on," Monroe coach John Harris said. To add insult to injury, the Cheesemakers continued another disturbing trend as they allowed a third goal with less than four minutes remaining in the half. Fullback Anthony Heller simply outran the Monroe defense and ripped a shot past Barta to grab a 3-0 halftime lead.

Marco Mimbela managed the lone Monroe score in the 50th minute, as he received a great through-ball, beat the last defender and slipped a shot past the goalie. The Cheesemakers would have several opportunities to draw closer late in the match as they put together a passing exhibition, but failed to finish several times.
"This could have easily been a 4-4 tie," Harris said.
Monroe wraps up its regular season at 4:30 p.m. Thursday against Baraboo at home.

Oct-12 HOME Baraboo @ 4:30
By Mike Leverton
Times Sports Editor
MONROE -- It was cold. It was rainy. It was snowing.
While the Monroe soccer team undoubtedly would rather have played in better conditions, the players had reason to celebrate after the game. With the Monroe seniors playing their final game at Honey Creek Park, the Cheesemakers outlasted both the Baraboo Thunderbirds and the elements to walk away with a 2-1 win in a Badger Conference crossover game.

"I've never seen weather like this before for soccer," Monroe coach John Harris said. Cold temperatures and wind greeted players to start the game. By the start of the second half, snow began to fall. Then both the snowfall and wind picked up as the snow fell at an almost horizontal angle.

The Cheesemakers played directly against the wind in the first half and allowed one goal. The defense and midfielders controlled the ball with short passing while Monroe had possession.

Baraboo's scored its lone goal directly after a throw-in at the 25th minute. Kevin Luck found open space right in front of the Monroe goal, leaving goalie Nate Barta helpless as Luck blasted a shot to the back of the net.

Monroe's best scoring chance in the first half had come a few minutes earlier. Senior Marco Mimbela crossed a ball right to left, which Dan Lehman headed toward the goal. But Thunderbird goalie Scott Green was able to handle the attempt.

"It was a pretty good half, everything considered," Harris said. "We did a lot of passing, especially against the wind." The Cheesemakers knotted up the score in the 45th minute, as Justin Griffin scored on an assist by Matt Farrar. Lehman struck 12 minutes later after a pass by Mimbela, completing the game's scoring.

The Thunderbirds had two quality scoring chances after Monroe's second goal, but Barta was up to the task both times. He made a sliding save in the 70th minute after a Baraboo attacker had broken free inside the box.

"Nate (Barta) had to do less today," Harris said, "which meant the defense was doing well. I'd rather he had a boring day." Monroe will play three games Saturday at the Mount Horeb Invitational, which begins at 9 a.m.

Oct-14 Away Mt. Horeb Invite 9:00
In their first game of the tourney, Monroe took on Dodgeville, a team they defeated earlier in the season. And they picked up where they left off! Nine minutes in, Marco passed across the goal to Dan who blasted the ball into the net for the first score. As much as they pressured, no more goals could be scored in the first half.

Early in the second half, the standard defensive breakdown gave Dodgeville a great opportunity and they tied the score at 1. But that score was Monroe's wake-up call. At 41 minutes, Marco scored on a nice pass from Tim. Then one minute later, Marco scored again from Tim. Then at 51 minutes, the prettiest goal of the game occurred: Ben took a corner that found Kyle's head for the 4th and final goal of the 4-1 victory.

The second game was against Wisconsin Heights, and the Cheesemakers continued their dominant play. Four minutes in, Dan fed Marco how finished for the 1-0 lead. Just 3 minutes later, Derek was feeding the Badger South scoring champion with his second goal of the game! Then just after the Wisconsin Height's kick-off, Marco picked up the ball and took it all the way down for the third goal and HATRICK. Way to Go Marco - Way to go MONROE!

Coach Harris then gave his reserve players an opportunity to play, getting them ready for next year!

Just after the second half kick-off, Tim fed Derek who blasted the ball into the net for the 4-0 Monroe lead. At 33 minutes, Wisconsin Heights was able to get a goal in for a 4-1 score. But at 46 minutes, Adam dribbled the defenders and scored for the Cheesemakers 5-1 victory!

The final game was against Mt. Horeb. This is the team Monroe tied 2-2 in double overtime, but that was the only game played that day. The Cheesemakers had already played two games, so this one would be tough. Mt Horeb scored a pair in both halves and won this game 4-0. But this was another strong week of soccer, winning three of their last 4 games played!

Oct-19 Away McFarland @ 6:00Come On Monroe - You Guys can DO IT!!!

Oct-21 Away Regional Final
Oct-26 Away Sectional Semi-Final
Oct-28 Away Sectional Final
Nov-02 Away State
Nov-03 Away State
Nov-04 Away State

And here are last year's stats!


Tuesday, October 10
Monroe Cheesemakers JV Soccer Team
Team Managers: Bill Hubbard, Liz Knutson

Coached by Tony Stamm
Yr        #        Name
11  15  Trevor Arn
9   3  Andrew Aurit
9   48  Jakob Baertschi
10  22  Dan Becker
10  28  Dylan Blum
9    36  Gottlieb Brandli
9        Jonathon Elmer
9    29  Kevin Frint
9    34  Patrick Gellings
9    31  Mason Goff
10  14  Kyle Golackson
9    30  Michael Gross
9    4  Andrew (A.J.) Guerin
10  41  Jacob Koch (Cook)
10  42  Cody Meighan
9    37  Kyle Netzel
9    2    Ciaran O'Neill
9    39  James Perry
9    1    Timothy Sanft
10  5    Logan Stamm
10  38  Josh Stephenson
9    19  Jordan Steurer
10  46  Andrew Swanston
10  26  Brandon Wilson

12 Goals For
3 Goals Against

Aug-22 Defeated Reedsburg 4-0! Goals scored by Kevin Frint, Mason Goff, Michael Gross and Brandon Wilson!

Aug-24 Defeated DeForest 2-1! Goals were scored by Kevin Frint and Andrew Aurit.

Aug-29 Defeated Janesville Parker 3-0. Goals were scored by Andrew Aurit, Mason Goff and Dylan Blum! JV is now an undefeated 3-0 on the y0oung season.

Aug-31 JV suffers first loss to Mt. Horeb, falling 2-1. Mt. Horeb had only 1 freshman on their JV roster. Monroe held the 1-0 lead before giving up 2 second half goals. Monroe's goal was scored by Michael Gross. Keep work guys!

Sep-5 JV bounces back and defeats a strong Stoughton team 1-0 on a goal by Michael Gross.

Sep-7 JV comes home and defeats a strong Plattevile squad 1-0. Andrew Aurit scored the game winner while Dan Becker and the defense earn another shutout!

Sep-12 JV drops a game to Oregon in the rain 1-0.

Sep-14 JV plays hard and ties Evansville 1-1.

Whitewater Tournament

The Monroe cheesemaker's JV team WON the JV Tournament in Whitewater, winning both their games! Way to go BOYS!

Oct-7 JV ties Platteville 1-1

Oct-10 JV ties McFarland 1-1