MILWAUKEE --- The No. 2 seeded Kiel Raiders girls soccer team was upended in the WIAA Division 4 state semifinal on Thursday 7-1 against No. 3 The Prairie School Hawks.
Here are four things you need to know from the loss.
Uncharacteristic defensive lapses for Kiel
Kiel had only allowed one team all season score more than one goal, Menomonee Falls in a 2-0 loss, before The Prairie School struck for seven.
Before Thursday, the Raiders had only surrendered 11 goals on the year.
The Hawks took control with a pair of goals within 56 seconds of each other to close the first half.
Kiel was outshot 28-3, including 20-3 in the second half.
More girls soccer:WIAA girls soccer: Cedar Grove-Belgium in 4th state final since 2018, here's what to know
Taavi Saeger scores lone goal for Kiel
Trailing 7-0, sophomore Taavi Saeger scored Kiel's only goal in the contest, finding the back of the net in the 75th minute.
She finished with a team-high 26 goals on the season.
More girls soccer:WIAA girls soccer: Kiel, Cedar Grove-Belgium and Plymouth are playing in the state tourney
Kiel denied chance at history
Kiel, which won the Division 4 state title last season, was looking to become the first program in state history to win back-to-back titles in the division.
The Raiders championship in 2023 was the first team state title in any sport in Kiel's school history, which was almost 100 years at that point.
Saying goodbye to four seniors
Kiel is a rather young team, especially coming off the graduation of 11 seniors from last year's state championship team.
With that said, seniors Kyleigh Kroll, Danielle Mueller, Elisheba Sipple and Lydia Vander-Meer played their last games as members of the Raiders.
All three players were apart of Kiel's run of three-straight state appearances, which are the only three trips in school history.
Contact Tom Dombeck at 920-686-2965 ortdombeck@htrnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at@Tom_Dombeck.
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