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The Chisago Lakes Wildcats U14 girls soccer team, composed primarily of eighth and ninth graders, recently took top honors at the Minnesota Youth Soccer Association District Tournament. Far from the favorite, the squad came into the tournament as the fifth seed out of 10 teams. But, despite a thin roster and the absence of their primary goaltender for most of the tournament, the Wildcats rose to the occasion right from the start.

Against Zimmerman in the quarterfinals, the team found itself down 3-0 early, but a timely goal by Briaunna Lietzau just before the end of the first half sparked a three-goal comeback in the second half that propelled the Wildcats to the semifinal game. Along the way, both Mariah Stoeckman and Amanda Farrell helped keep the team in the game by protecting the net, notable since neither had played more than a half or two in the net the entire year. On offense, Lietzau would get her first hat trick of the season, scoring three of the Wildcats four goals.

Perhaps the toughest challenge of the tournament, the team found itself locked in a struggle with the top-seeded team from Champlin/Dayton for the chance to play in the championship. The Wildcats had lost to Champlin/Dayton earlier in the season by a score of 2-1, after leading 1-0 for most of the game.

True to their reputation, Champlin/Dayton jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in the game. The Wildcats narrowed the divide when forward Jordan Tepoorten was fouled in the penalty area, and mid-fielder Sarah Lasiuk buried the penalty shot in the left corner. In the second half, forward Joelle Waskey would tie the game when she got behind the Champlin/Dayton defense and buried a left-foot goal in the right corner. The game would ultimately end up in an overtime dogfight, one which the Wildcats would win on the strength of another goal by Waskey and the stingy goaltending of Danielle Tepoorten, yet another green volunteer in the net.

The district championship would go to the Wildcats way as well, as they notched a 3-0 win over the North Metro Fireballs and qualified for the state tournament, to be held at the National Sports Center in Blaine beginning next week. The shutout was had by returning starting goaltender Kayla Ostrom, and having her back was a victory in itself. “The girls decided early in the tournament that they were playing for Kayla,” stated Head Coach Pat Tepoorten, who explained that Ostrom had been away at a church function and the team knew the only way she would play soccer again this summer was if the girls made it to the championship. “Play for Kayla became the motto of the team, so having her back in the net was a real feather in the cap of these girls.”

Tepoorten also noted that it was that kind of team mentality that was the difference for the Wildcats. “The girls really came together at the right time. Some girls sacrificed time at their favorite positions to cover areas that were in need, and they never once, not for one minute, gave up.”

“Our goals last weekend were scored by a few, but none would have been possible without the outstanding play of the entire team. While we may have faced teams with greater depth or individual talent, none were able to match the aggressiveness and teamwork of my girls.”

The Wildcats now face their most difficult challenge yet, the top teams from all over the state, but Tepoorten isn’t worried in the least. “Are you kidding? Getting there was so exciting I haven’t even had a chance to think about it. I think we have as good a chance as any team in the tournament to walk away with a state championship, but our primary goal is to have fun and enjoy this once in a lifetime experience.”

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