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Totino-Grace 5, Chisago Lakes 1

After having the game postponed twice because of thunderstorms and wet fields, the Chisago Lakes boys soccer team experienced playing the Totino Grace Eagles firsthand. And the Eagles showed why they’re the number-one ranked team in the state, beating a very good Wildcats team 5-1 at the Chisago Lakes stadium field Tuesday, October 11.

The Eagles, ahead 2-0 at halftime, were led by Brandon Miller, who had two goals and two assists. But they certainly weren’t a one-man team. Their passing, shooting and defensive intensity were excellent throughout the game.

The Wildcats managed to put a respectable six shots on goal against the Eagles, and Christian Swanberg scored an unassisted goal in the second half to spoil the shutout.

“The Eagles aren’t invincible,” said Wildcat head coach Mark Leigh. “But they were very good today.” The Eagles have lost two games this season. An Eagle parent confirmed that the Eagles “usually play this well, but not all the time. Sometimes they get out of synch, just like any other team.”

After the game, the teams practiced a five-man shootout together, since shootouts are used to break ties in section games and state tournament games if the teams are still tied after regulation and two five-minute overtimes. The Wildcats won the shootout 4-2, which, hopefully, is a good sign for them as they go through the playoffs.

Chisago Lakes 2, South St. Paul 0

Blane Maher finally got the Wildcats on the board in the 65th minute off of a feed from Chris Golv, and the two combined for another goal with three minutes remaining to give the top-seeded Wildcats a 2-0 victory over the South St. Paul Packers in the quarterfinal round of the Section 3A tournament Saturday, October 15 at the Chisago Lakes stadium field.

The Wildcats had received a bye in the first round of the tournament because of their high seed.

The ninth-seeded Packers earned the right to face the Wildcats after defeating St. Croix Lutheran 6-0 Wednesday, October 12.

Both teams had decent scoring chances in the first half, but couldn’t put anything away. The Packers’ best chance came on a corner kick from the left corner. The Packer player curled the ball tantalizingly across the goal mouth, but no one from either team touched it and the ball crossed the end line for a goal kick by the Wildcats.

The Wildcats nearly scored when Golv chased down a through ball and fired from the left hand part of the penalty area about 15 feet out from the goal line, aiming for the upper right corner of the net. The Packer goalie leaped and got just enough of his hand on the ball to deflect it wide right.

It looked like the Packers were going to get on the scoreboard midway through the second half. A Packer forward went after a through ball from one of his teammates. Wildcat goalie Tom Fitzer ran out to try to beat the Packer to the ball. The Packer beat Fitzer to the ball, but tried to one-time it around a diving Fitzer and shot the ball wide left.

The Wildcats broke through in the 65th minute. From near midfield, Golv played the ball down the left side to Maher, who took a shot on the run from the left hand part of the penalty and scored. The Wildcats sealed the victory with just three minutes left when Golv took a tough angle shot, again from the left. The goalie made a diving save, but the rebound came out to Maher standing five feet in front of the open net. Maher ripped it home for his second goal of the game.

The Packers nearly spoiled the shutout with just a minute to go, but Fitzer’s diving stop of a hard shot headed toward the inside of the left post provided the final excitement for the day as the Wildcats won, 2-0.

“South St. Paul was certainly better than their seeding indicated,” said Leigh. “They had a poor record and lost to some pretty easy teams, but also beat our section’s second seed, St. Thomas, twice this season and handed Monticello their only loss of the season. We weren’t going to take them too lightly, and it was certainly a relief when we took the lead with 15 minutes to go.

“Scott Leigh gave us some good, quality minutes today and played a smart game. I thought Troy Aadland also played very well on defense. He’s a smart player. He knows when to challenge a player with the ball and when to stay back and be patient,” the coach added.

Aadland also gives the Wildcats another option for long throw-ins to go along with Andy Olness’ monumental two-handed heaves and Brian Jones’ majestic flip throws.

The Wildcats were scheduled to play fourth-seeded New Life Academy Tuesday, October 18 at 7:00 p.m. at the Chisago Lakes stadium field. New Life Academy beat the number-five seed, Mounds Park Academy, 3-0 last Saturday October 15 at New Life Academy for the right to face the Wildcats. If the Wildcats won Tuesday, they’ll face the winner of the second-seeded St. Thomas Cadets and the third-seeded Mahtomedi Zephyrs today (Thursday, October 20) at the Chisago Lakes stadium field.

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