Thursday, October 31, 2013

LAKEVILLE NORTH TOOK ON MINNETONKA IN THE CLASS AA GIRLS STATE SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Lakeville North and Minnetonka went up against each other in the Class AA girls’ soccer state championship game.
 
Both teams were pretty quick with the ball. They did a good job of keeping the ball near the middle of the field.
 
Both teams were trading scoring chances throughout the first half.  They were very evenly matched teams. Neither of them gave up any easy looks at the goal.
 
Minnetonka was not afraid to shoot the ball if they thought that they had a good shot at a goal they were not afraid to shoot the ball.
 
At halftime the score was tied at 0.
 
Lakeville North came out with a lot of energy in the second half.
 
Both teams continued to look for their chances to score.
 
With 24:54 Minnetonka’s Ellen Mau found the back end of the goal as she scored on a header.
 
With that goal that made the score Minnetonka 1, Lakeville North 0.
 
Both teams fought hard throughout the contest.
 
The game came down to the wire. It was a defensive battle throughout the game.  
 
In a hard fought game Minnetonka came away with the hard fought 1-0 victory over Lakeville North.
 
With that win Minnetonka won the MSHSL State Championship for Class AA.
 
After the game I was able to talk to Minnetonka’s head coach Jeff Hopkins about the championship. I was also able to talk to Minnetonka players Ellen Mau and Draayer about the game.

HILL-MURRY AND ST.PAUL COMO PARK WENT UP AGAINST EACH OTHER IN THE CLASS A STATE BOYS’ SOCCER TOURNAMENT

Hill-Murray School Pioneers took on the Como Park Cougars in the Class A state boys’ soccer state tournament.
 
Both teams were able to get the ball down the field quickly. Both teams got everyone involved in the offense in the first half.
 
Como Park had good spacing on the field. They knew where everyone was on the field and were very quick on the offensive end.
 
Como Park did a good job of getting everyone in the middle of the field as they didn’t let Hill-Murray get any open shots on goal.  
 
The game was very physical throughout the first half.
 
There was no score at halftime.
 
Both teams had their chances at scoring goals early in the second half.
 
There were a lot of headers by both teams in the second half. These teams knew where the other one was on the field at all times.
 
The ball was all over the field. Both teams used the whole field. Everyone was involved in the plays.
 
With 14:05 Thor Will came up with a goal for Como Park. With that goal that made the score Como Park 1, Hill Murray 0.
 
The game came down to the wire.
 
With 6:23 left in regulation Como Park found the net again as Seik Seik found the back of the net for a goal.
 
With that goal the score was Como Park 2, Hill-Murray 0.  
 
Hill Murray’s Jack Blaney found the back of the goal with 4:28 left in regulation. That made the score Como Park 2, Hill-Murray 1.
 
In a hard fought game St. Paul Como Park came away with the 2-1 victory over Hill Murray.
 
With that win St. Paul Como Park won the 2013 MSHSL State Championship for Class A.
 
After the game I was able to talk to Como Park head coach Eric Erickson and Will about winning the class A championship.  

BENILDE-ST.MARGARET’S AND BLAKE WENT UP AGAINST EACH OTHER IN THE GIRLS STATE SOCCER CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Benilde-St. Margaret's took on Blake in the Class A girls’ state soccer championship game. Both teams seemed loose and relaxed in the warm ups and early in the first half.  These teams had played each other before so they knew what the other team was trying to do.
 
Both teams looked to get to the ball down the field as quickly as they could.  
 
Benilde-St. Margaret’s players were very vocal on the field as they were passing the ball to each other letting them know where they were on the field.
 
Both teams played well and really went after the ball in the first half. It was very physical. Neither team gave up easy shots.
 
In a hard-fought first half the score was tied at 0.
 
As the second half got underway both teams continued to attack the goal. The game was close throughout.
 
Both teams continued to race up and down the field and attacked the goal. They seemed to know what the other team was doing. Neither team was able to get a good look at the goal.
 
Both teams picked up the pace late in the second half. There was a scene of urgency from both teams in the second half.  
 
Benilde-St. Margaret’s Aleksa Tataryn found the back of the goal with 9:15 left in second half. That made the score Benilde-St. Margaret’s 1, Blake 0.
 
Neither team was able to score again. The game came down to the wire.
 
In the end Benilde-St. Margaret’s came away with the 1-0 victory over Blake to win the Minnesota State High School League’s class A state girls soccer championship.
 
After the game I was able to talk to Benilde-St. Margaret's head coach Scott Helling-Christy and Tataryn about winning the championship.

EDEN PRAIRIE TOOK ON BURNSVILLE IN THE CLASS AA GIRLS SOCCER THIRD PLACE GAME

Eden Prairie and Burnsville went up against each other in the Class AA third place girls’ state soccer game.  
 
Both teams seemed to come out with a lot of energy for the start. Both were talking on both ends of the field as they looked to move the ball down the field.
 
Burnsville’s Amanda Hartmann was all over the field. If she thought that she had a good shot on goal she was not afraid to shoot it. If she thought that her teammate had a better shot than her she would pass it to her and let her take it.
 
Both teams went after the ball. Neither team let up in the first half. Both goalkeepers stepped up in the first half by knocking down balls that flew into their direction.
 
Burnsville’s Mikayla Woebke came up with some nice plays for her team in the first half. She had a couple of nice shots on goal.
 
There was no score at halftime.
 
With 39:01 left in the second half Eden Prairie’s April Bockin found the back end of the net with the assist going to Brianna Lupo.
 
With that goal that made the score Eden Prairie 1, Burnsville 0.
 
Both teams continued to fight for the ball and look for shots late in the contest.
 
Burnsville found the back of the goal as Megan Engle scored a goal with the assist coming from
 
Amanda Hartmann with 16:38 left in regulation.
 
With that goal that tied the score at 1.
 
Neither Eden Prairie nor Burnsville scored again and the game ended in a 1-1 tie. Both teams were awarded third place.  
 

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

ANDOVER TOOK ON EDINA IN THE CLASS AA STATE THIRD PLACE SOCCER GAME

Andover and Edina went up against each other in the Minnesota State High School League’s state third place boys’ soccer game.
 
Both teams were able to move the ball down the field with ease in the opening half.
 
There was a lot of bumping on the field as each team was very physical in their play.  
 
Andover’s Andrew Bird scored a goal with the assist going to Alec Terwilliger with 16:43 left to go in the first half.
 
With that goal that made the score Andover 1, Edina 0.
 
The game was close throughout the first half.
 
Edina’s Nick Vogt scored a goal with 3:58 left in the first half with the assist coming from Reza Dehkordi. With that goal that tied the score at 1.
 
The score at halftime was tied at 1.
 
The second half got off to a quick start as each team continued to make strides to get the ball into the net.
 
Neither team was able to score again. Because this was a third place game the game ended in a tie at 1-1. Both teams were awarded third place.
 

EDEN PRAIRIE TOOK ON MINNETONKA IN THE GIRLS STATE CLASS AA SOCCER SEMIFINALS

Eden Prairie and Minnetonka went up against each other in the girls state soccer semifinal game at the Metrodome. These two teams split during the regular season.  
 
Eden Prairie got things rolling early as April Bockin scored a goal with 34:55 left in the first half.
 
With that goal that made that made the score Eden Prairie 1, Minnetonka 0.
 
Both teams continued to attack the goal. Neither team gave up easy shots. Even though Eden Prairie took an early lead, Minnetonka didn’t back down.
 
Eden Prairie looked to have good ball control as they were able to make crisp passes to each other.
 
They seemed to work well with each other on both ends of the field.
 
In a fast-paced first half the score at halftime was Eden Prairie 1, Minnetonka 0.
 
The second half started out just as the first half ended as each team raced up and down the field.
 
Minnetonka didn’t have many chances near the goal throughout the second half. The Eden Prairie offense has been in control in the second half as they had more ball control and played a little smoother.
 
Eden Prairie’s Bockin found the back end of the net again with scoring her second goal of the contest with 29:23 left in regulation. That made the score Eden Prairie 2, Minnetonka 0.
 
Minnetonka’s Libby Patterson scored a goal with 22:56 left in regulation. She was assisted by Elizabeth Endy.
 
The score with 22:56 left in regulation was Eden Prairie 2, Minnetonka 1.
 
Minnetonka evened the score up on a straight way shot by Endy found the net with the assist going to
teammate Gabby Pitera with 3:45 left in regulation.
 
With that goal with 3:45 left to go in regulation the score was tied at 2.
 
The game was tied at 2 at the end of regulation.
 
The game went into a sudden death 10 minute overtime period.
 
Both teams continued to move the ball down the field well in the overtime period.
 
Neither team scored in the first overtime period.
 
The goalkeepers in soccer played well as they each came up with some huge saves.
 
Both teams played well throughout the game. Neither team gave up and fought hard through the end of the game.
 
 Minnetonka’s Maggie Crist came up with a goal with 5:19 left in the second overtime period. With that goal Minnetonka won the game 3-2.
 
After the game I talked with Crist and head coach Jeff Hopkins about the game.
 

LAKEVILLE NORTH TOOK ON BURNSVILLE IN THE CLASS AA GIRLS STATE SOCCER TOURNAMENT

Lakeville North and Burnsville went up against each other in a class AA semifinal soccer game as part of the Minnesota State High School Leagues girls’ state soccer tournament.
 
Both teams looked to move the ball well down the field with quickness. Both teams seemed to be in control when they had the ball in their zone.
 
Both teams kept the ball near the middle field for the most part. That is where most of the action appeared to happen. Once in a while the ball would go to the corners and it would be played from there.
 
Both teams seemed to know where the other team was going to kick the ball. Both teams got after the ball as they looked to score.
 
Lakeville North had some good looks at the goal but the Burnsville defense stepped up big as they were not to allow the ball into the net.
 
The score at halftime was tied at 0.
 
Both teams continued to kick the ball around the field in the second half. Both teams seemed to take care of the ball and valued each possession.  
 
Neither team gave up down the stretch.
 
Lakeville North’s Olivia Bruce found the back side of the goal with 6:08 left in regulation. There were a ton of players around her but she shot it and it went in.
 
With that goal that made the score Lakeville North 1, Burnsville 0.
 
In a hard fought game Lakeville North came away with the 1-0 victory over Burnsville.
 
With that victory Lakeville North will play either Eden Prairie or Minnetonka in the class AA championship game on Thursday.
 
After the game I was able to get Lakeville North head coach Bulut Ozturt’s thoughts on the game.

MANKATO WEST TOOK ON TOTINO-GRACE IN THE CLASS A GIRLS STATE THIRD PLACE SOCCER GAME

Mankato West and Totino-Grace went up against each other in the girls’ state third-place soccer game at the Metrodome.
 
Both teams moved the ball well to start the game. Neither team gave up easy shots.  Both teams looked very balanced.
 
Totino-Grace’s Nicole Newman found the back end of the net, with the assist coming from teammate Chaselyn Miller with 23:15 left in the first half.
 
The score was Totino-Grace 1, Mankato West 0.
 
Both teams continued to look to get the ball down field as quickly as they could as they both wanted to get it into the back of the net.
 
At halftime the score was Totino-Grace 1, Mankato West 0.
 
The second half got underway both teams continued to attack the net. Both teams were aggressive on both ends of the field. Neither team gave up an easy shot on goal.
 
Neither team backed down as they fought hard throughout the second half.
 
With 10:40 left in the second half Totino-Grace found the back of the goal on a kick by Newman with the assist going to Miller.
 
With that goal that made the score Totino-Grace 2, Mankato West 0.
 
Both teams play well throughout the game.
 
In a hard fought game Totino-Grace came away with the 2-0 victory over Mankato West.
 
After the game I talked to Newman and head coach Matt Thibodeau about the third place game.

SARTELL-ST. STEPHEN TOOK ON WACONIA IN THE CLASS A STATE BOYS’ SOCCER THIRD PLACE GAME

Sartell-St. Stephen (Sartell) went up against Waconia in the boys’ state class A third -place game.
 
Both teams moved the ball down the field well to start.  
 
The ball was kept in the middle of the field for the most part early in the first half.
 
Neither team took many shots on goal at the start of the game. It took them awhile to figure out what the other team was doing.
 
The fans that were in the stands cheered for their respective teams. That added a little bit of atmosphere in the building saying that it was completely dead. Both teams played off that energy.
 
Waconia was able to get a few good shots on goal in the first ten minutes of play.
 
Both teams continued to move the ball down the field. But were not able to get it into the goal.
 
At halftime the score was tied at 0.
 
As the second half got underway.
 
Sartell’s Cullen Chisholm found the net with the assist coming from Shawn Sullivan with 38:27 left in the second half.  
 
With that goal that made the score Sartell 1, Waconia 0.
 
Sartell scored again with 24:44 left in the second half on a goal by Ben Veitch. With that goal that made the score Sartell 2, Waconia 0.
 
Waconia found the back of the net with 22:57 left in regulation with a goal by Charlie Spurbeck with the assist going to Marcel Montiel.
 
With that goal that made the score Sartell 2, Waconia 1.
 
Waconia found the net again with a goal by Montiel with the assist going to Nikolas Bohman with 16:59 left in regulation.
 
With that goal that tied the score at 2.
 
Neither team gave up as each team continued to move the ball down the field well.
 
The game came down to the wire.
 
The game ended in a 2-2 tie and will share the third place honors.

EASTVIEW TOOK ON EDINA IN THE BOYS’ STATE CLASS AA STATE SOCCER SEMIFINALS

Eastview and Edina went up against each other in the final game of quarterfinal action at the Metrodome.
 
Edina got on the board first with 28:36 left in the first half. Edina’s Trip Adams scored a goal with the assist going to teammate Isaac Bloom.
 
With 28:36 left in the first half the score was Edina 1, Eastview 0.
 
Both teams moved the ball down the field well as they communicated well with each other.  
 
Edina was able to keep the ball in the Eastview’s zone as they looked to get open shots on goal.
 
Both teams played well throughout the first half.
 
Eastview tied the game with 5:30 left to go in the first half on a goal by Pierce Erickson, with the assist going to Sam Fluegge.
 
With that goal that tied the score at 1.
 
At halftime the score was tied at 1.
 
Both teams continued to look for shots in the second half.
 
Adams had a few good shots on goal midway the second half. He was not able to get those shots to fall however.
 
I thought that both teams played hard and it was a close game throughout.
 
The score after regulation was tie at 1.
 
There was a ten minute overtime. The first team to score will win the game. If no one has scored after two 10 minute periods there will be a shootout to determine the winner of the contest.
 
Neither team was able to score a goal in the first overtime period.
 
The score was tied at 1 after the first overtime.
 
There was another ten minute overtime period.
 
Both teams really got after it in the overtime period.
 
There was no scoring in the second overtime period so they went to the penalty kicks.
 
Eastview’s Jack Teske hit a goal in the penalty kicks to beat Edina 2-1
 
I talked to Teske and Eastview head coach Scott Gustafson about the game and the shot to win it.