11/2/2009 7:06:00 PM Blake, Orono, Wayzata advance to semifinals
By Matt Thomas
Three Lake Minnetonka area girls' soccer teams qualified for the state tournament and as the tournament reconvenes this week for the semifinal and final rounds all three teams are still alive.
Blake and Orono both advanced to the semifinals in the Class A tournament, while Wayzata breezed into the semifinals in the Class 2A tournament.
Blake 3, Mankato West 0
If you took a glance at the Blake girls' soccer roster you might come away saying that team might be good in a couple of years. The truth is, despite being incredibly young, the Bears are pretty good right now.
The Bears advanced to the state Class A semifinals on Thursday, Oct. 29 with a convincing 3-0 victory over Mankato West.
The Bears are now 16-3-1 on the season and favored to advance to the state championship game.
All of that for a team with only two seniors, eight juniors, four sophomores, five freshmen, one eighth grader and one seventh grader.
"We did the job that we had to do and I couldn't be more pleased," Bears head coach Paul Menge said. "We had a number of kids make big plays tonight."
One of those kids was eighth grader Lydia Sutton, who stood out as perhaps the best player on the field on this particular night.
Sutton set up the Bears' second goal with a long free kick that junior Hillary Crowe deposited into the back of the net with just one minute remaining in the first half.
Sutton then put the game out of reach with 7:59 remaining in the second half when she scored on a set piece off a corner kick.
"Lydia did a solid job and she's made some big plays all year," Menge said. "She's also got a very talented crew around her that know how to play with her."
The Bears' first goal was scored by freshman Natalie Sill in the game's 21st minute with an assist from senior Andi Foss.
"We talked about setting a tone early and I thought we set the tone early by getting to the ball," Menge said. "When you do that, you're going to make things happen."
Blake goalkeeper, freshman Maddy Crawford, made four saves to earn the shutout for the Bears.
Crawford has been thrust into a vital position after spending most of the season watching from the sidelines.
Starting goalkeeper, junior Addie Adams, ruptured her spleen in the first half of the Bears' section semifinal game.
"Addie feels bad that she's out and we feel bad that she's out. She's had a tremendous impact not being able to play because the girls have played so hard for her," Menge said. "Maddy Crawford has really stepped in and played well and we're all proud of Maddy, but honestly nobody is more proud of Maddie than Addie. Addie has worked with her all year and helped her to improve."
The Bears were scheduled to play Cloquet in a state semifinal match at 10 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 2 after this edition went to press.
The Bears will either play for third place at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3 or for the state championship at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 5.
Orono 1, Rogers 0
Despite being awarded the No. 1 seed in the Class A state tournament, the Orono Spartans arguably drew the toughest first-round match against the Rogers Royals.
The Royals entered the state tournament winners of 14 of their last 15 matches and they gave the Spartans all they could handle.
The only goal of the match was scored in the game's 52nd minute when seventh grade phenom Sophie Babo scored on a direct free kick.
It was Babo's 22nd goal of the season and it sent the Spartans into this week's semifinals at the Metrodome.
Senior goalkeeper Grete Miller made eight saves in the victory to preserve the shutout for the Spartans.
Orono was scheduled to play La Crescent (18-3-1) in one semifinal match on Monday, Nov. 2 after this edition went to press.
The Spartans will either play for third place at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3 or for the state championship at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 5.
Wayzata 8, Elk River 0
When the Class 2A state tournament brackets were released, it appeared that the Wayzata Trojans had the easiest quarterfinal match due to the luck of the draw.
The state tournament seeds the top four teams and then places the remaining four teams in the bracket randomly.
The Trojans drew Elk River, the winners of Section 8-2A, but a team that entered the state tournament with a record of 5-11-2.
The Elks were indeed outmatched when the two teams locked horns Wednesday, Oct. 30 at St. Cloud State University.
The Trojans led 5-0 at halftime and went on for a comfortable 8-0 victory. The Trojans finished the game with a 24-1 advantage in shots.
Junior forward Taylor Wodnick scored three goals in the first half - her 19th, 20th and 21st goals of the season.
Freshman Kylie Schwarz scored twice in the first half to giver her seven goals for the season.
Second half goals for the Trojans were scored by seniors Sam Curtiss, Emma Crumley and Amanda Leone.
While the Trojans may not have been challenged in their quarterfinal match, that will not be the case in this week's semifinal match.
The Trojans will face the Edina Hornets at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at the Metrodome.
It will be the third meeting of the season between the two teams. The first two meetings both ended in 1-1 ties.
The Hornets are 17-1-2 on the season with their only loss coming to No. 1 ranked Woodbury. They are led senior forwards Corinne Buie (33 goals, 11 assists) and Julie Sierks (17 goals, 14 assists) who have scored more than 60 percent of the team's goals this year.
Depending on the outcome of the match against Edina, the Trojans will either play for third place at 8 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5 or for the state championship at 3 p.m. on Nov. 5.
