Soccer Squads Start State Bid Tonight in St. Michael

The St. Michael-Albertville varsity soccer programs begin their quest for a state tournament bid tonight in St. Michael, as the boys' and girls' teams host Section 8AA foes for the quarterfinal round of the tournament at the Field.

Both teams have used a balance of youth and experience to put together winning seasons, each team earning the outright crown of the Mississippi 8 Conference–the first time the school has pulled off that daily double.

"That's just one of our team goals," said girls' senior defenseman Andrea Boisner. "This is a team that can get to state."

The girls face a St. Cloud Tech team tonight that they, admittedly, slept on a bit when they tied the Tigers 1-1 back on Sept. 13.

"We know that hurt us in the section seedings a bit, but we were able to rebound and win some games after that," head coach Meghan Johnson said. "We've come a ways since then."

The key has been the solid play of the Knights' younger players. While Boisner and fellow seniors Alaina Rooker, Kara Hendrickson and Lydia Swanson are the clear leaders of the team, the Knights have received huge play from juniors like Maddie Barr, Katie Schmitz and keeper MiCale Jensen.

"I think what has really helped us is that MiCale and some of the other players have grown up quickly," Johnson said. "We're still a very young team. We were young last year. But now we've got some experience at this level."

Johnson added that she's surprised at how quickly the team came together, and formed the bond needed to win things like a conference championship.

That will be tested tonight, when the Knights host Tech, and as the squad advances. But the Knights, who fell in heartbreaking fashion in the Section Championship last season, know how this plays out.

"You want to be on top at the end," Boisner said. "Last year, we were so close. You don't forget that. You kind of have to build on that."

As for the boys, Darek Dewey's team hosts an even more familar opponent-the Rogers Royals.

The Knights routed Rogers 3-0 nine days ago to secure the conference title. But it's hard to beat a team twice, especially when you've celebrated in front of them.

Still, the Knights have a strong edge, thanks to experienced scorers and a defense that, despite a 3-1 loss to Eastview, has given up just four goals in its last four games.

What has to concern Dewey is his team's record against Section 8AA. While the Knights have a win over Rogers, they were handled easily by No. 3 Elk River/Zimmerman (a potential semifinal opponent) and tied No. 4 Buffalo, 3-3.

"We feel like we've tightened some things up on our defensive side lately, and can avoid some of those mistakes like we made that night [against Buffalo]," he said. "Really, you need to play your best soccer now. Every night, the opponent is going to get tougher. There's no easy ones now."

The games begin at 5:30 p.m. tonight. There is an admission fee. It's a state-sanctioned event, so activity cards will not gain admittance.