Rochester Lourdes boys soccer blanks unseeded Fridley for another trip to state semifinals

At least Rochester Lourdes boys soccer won’t have to deal with another rain delay, now that it’s headed to U.S. Bank Stadium.

In its 17th trip to the 1A state tournament, the No. 3 seed Eagles (16-3-1) took care of business against unseeded Fridley, 5-0, in a rainy quarterfinal at Edina.

Senior midfielder Aidan Kane had a brace, his 17th and 18th goals of the year. Sophomore Blake Moynagh scored his 30th, good for second-most in Minnesota boys soccer this season.

“His decision-making in the box, and his technical skill to execute those decisions. … It’s something you don’t normally see until junior and senior year,” Lourdes head coach Eric Neil said.

Junior midfielder Luca Duerr and senior midfielder Sam Theobald, a Mr. Soccer finalist, rounded out the goal sheet for three-time state champ Lourdes.

The Class 1A Section 1 champions hadn’t broken the scoreless deadlock by the time that lightning forced a 90-minute rain delay. Neil said the rain delay helped the Eagles assess and adjust to Fridley’s game plan — a “free scout.”

Fridley’s (8-8-1) loss ended its Cinderella run to a Class 1A Section 5 title, its first since 2007. After winning just one game in each of its last three seasons, the Tigers’ new coaching staff, led by Fridley alum Jesus Analco, helped them upset No. 1 Hope Academy on the way to a section championship.

“It was more of a family team this year,” Analco said. “The kids were definitely able to bond more this year. We started working together as a team.”

Eighteen players gathered at 6 a.m. on the first day of practice, and junior defender Luis Zentella said that the work ethic and on-field communication felt different this year.

“We wanted to do more,” Zentella said. “The sixth seed, almost the last seed, upsetting the one seed. … [By then], we knew we had a chance to win the section final.”

Lourdes heads on to face the winner of St. Cloud Cathedral vs. Marshall School (Duluth) on Wednesday.

Mahtomedi girls soccer had booked its ticket to the state semifinals with a 3-0 victory over St. Francis at Edina. Like the Rochester Lourdes boys, Mahtomedi (17-2-1) is a state tournament frequent flyer, on its 18th trip to the big dance.

But after its 11th Class 1A title in 2021, the girls soccer program jumped to Class 2A. The No. 2-seeded Zephyrs are chasing their first Class 2A title.

Mahtomedi’s Ms. Soccer finalist, centerback Faith Peper, opened the scoring with 13 minutes left in the first half, her sixth goal of the season. Junior forward Allie Rippentrop doubled the Zephyr’s lead before halftime, and junior midfielder Kayla Poirier sealed the victory less than a minute into the second half.

St. Francis ends its second-ever trip to state at 13-3-2. The Fighting Saints made their tournament debut in 2021 and finished this year as Mississippi 8 conference champs, with nine shutouts from senior goalkeeper Emerson Markas. A Division 1 softball commit heading to South Dakota State, Markas tried soccer for the first time this year and posted a 0.85 goals against average.

Girls

Class 2A

Mankato East 3, St. Cloud Tech 1: Senior forward Taylor Schilling scored the first two goals as the Cougars (16-2-2) won their 11th consecutive game, beating the Tigers (15-4-1). Teammate sophomore Jillian Borgmeier added a second-half goal. Senior forward Molly Burkstrand, the state’s single-season record holder for goals, scored her 62nd of the season for the Tigers.

Class 1A

Esko 0, St. Cloud Cathedral 0, OT (Esko wins shootout 3-2): No. 7-rated Esko (14-3-1) advanced to the semifinals, winning the shootout against the No. 6-ranked Crusaders (14-5-1) after the two teams played to a scoreless tie.

Southwest Christian 4, Pine Island/Zumbrota-Mazeppa 1: Senior Maya Johnson scored twice as the top-ranked Stars (18-0-1) overcame a slow start to defeat the No. 10-rated Wildcats (13-3-3) for their 12th consecutive victory. The Wildcats were making their second straight state tournament appearance, their only two in program history, and have drawn the No. 1-ranked team in the state both times. They lost to Providence Academy 9-1 in the quarterfinals a year ago.

Boys

Class 1A

St. Cloud Cathedral 2, Duluth Marshall 1: Junior midfielder Jacob Oliver’s second-half goal broke a one-all deadlock, lifting the No. 2-ranked and unbeaten Crusaders (20-0-0) over the Hilltoppers (9-11-0). The two teams traded first-half goals.

Pine Island/Zumbrota-Mazeppa 2, Breck 1: Junior Zachary Breitenstein scored with 7 minutes, 6 seconds remaining as the No. 7-rated Wildcats (15-2-2) edged the No. 5-ranked Mustangs (10-6-3). Both teams traded goals in the first half. The Wildcats extended their winning streak to 10 consecutive games.

Class 2A

Orono 5, Mankato East 0: Juniors Tiernan Bonner and Owen Throldahl and senior Mylo Doise scored nine minutes apart in the first half, leading the No. 5-ranked Spartans (12-4-2) past the No. 7-rated Cougars (14-4-2). Doise added a second goal in the second half.