RHINELANDER, Wis. — After their season-opener at home against Marinette last week was cancelled, the Iron Mountain girls varsity soccer team headed to Rhinelander on Tuesday to start the campaign and got a surprise when they arrived.

Because of poor weather, the Hodags moved the contest indoors and the Mountaineers struggled with the change and dropped a 6-0 decision.

“Our girls are obviously not used to playing on turf (in the Hodag Dome) and the size of the field appeared to be larger than the standard size for high school soccer, so walking into that dome was intimidating for many of them,” IM co-coach Carly Lambert said. “The ball moves much faster on turf and it is harder to control first touches or get used to having to scale back passes, so we really struggled in the middle of the field.”

Lambert added the final score was no indication of how the Mountaineers’ defense played, saying junior Emma Ellis and senior Sierra Ryan (in her first soccer match) stood out.

“The defense all worked tirelessly to keep the Hodags from getting any more shots in,” Lambert said. “Overall, they played a great first game, and we are looking forward to correcting, improving and seeing what the girls can do with the rest of the season.”