RIVER FALLS — Chippewa Falls soccer floated in a goal to open the second half and take a 3-1 lead, but the River Falls Wildcats stormed back for a thrilling 4-3 win Thursday.

The Wildcats started off strong, getting a chance to score in the first minute that went just wide, and would eventually strike first as junior captain Wyatt Nelson found an opening in the bottom right corner of the net for a 1-0 lead seven minutes in.

After senior goalkeeper Henry Ruhland made a big time save on a penalty kick in the 30th minute, River Falls conceded the tying goal off the ensuing corner kick and gave up a second goal shortly after.

“We talked about character at halftime, and the fact that we get to learn a lot in games when we’re down like this,” Head Coach Adam Koger said. “As uncomfortable as it is, you get to grow from it. You don’t grow from games that you win 5-0, 6-0.”

The speech took some time to kick in, as in the first minute of the second half, Chippewa Falls sent a shot off the post that was rebounded and returned in the form of a floater to the back of the net. Trailing 3-1, River Falls was not about to give up on the game.

Halfway through the second half, senior captain Tustin Todd threaded the needle with a rolling pass to Dominic Hietela, who just had the goalkeeper to beat and did so. The goal brought River Falls within one goal with 20 minutes to play.

“Honestly, it was really tough having that halftime talk being two-to-one down and then going really three-to-one down early in the second half,” Todd said. “I was really proud of the way the boys responded. Getting that goal really boosted our confidence.”

About a minute later, Nelson sent a booming kick that Todd chased down, sending a shot to the left side of the net to tie the match at three.

“I got the first, I celebrated in the corner, but then I remembered it’s not over yet,” Todd said.

Twenty-two minutes into the second half, Todd tacked on another, scoring from a tight angle on the left side of the pitch and topping it off with a leaping fist pump in front of the home crowd.

There were a few scares in the waning minutes of the game, but River Falls held on to a 4-3 win.

All the emotions were on full display during the battle, and that’s what makes the team tick at the end of the day.

“That’s my favorite part about sports,” Koger said. “I don’t know if there’s a lot of activities that you can do outside of sports that change your emotions like, especially high school athletics.”

River Falls has started the season off strong with wins over Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin Rapids and Altoona/Fall Creek and a draw against North St. Paul. Koger has seen a togetherness from the back line that has propelled the team to some wins.

The team had their sights set on a top four finish in the eight-team Big Rivers Conference, and the win over Chippewa Falls in the Wildcats’ first conference game put the team on the right track. Chippewa Falls finished in the top half of the conference last year.

“Graduating a ton of seniors last year, we were very uncertain about how this year would go, but I think our preseason has gone very well and left us no doubts about where we stand in conference,” Todd said.

Koger said at some point in the season, the team will hit a rocky stretch, and the togetherness they showed Thursday night is an example of what will help them through the stretch.

“As long as we’re taking steps forward, even if they’re small, that’s going to be a positive thing for us,” Koger said.