Fall 2021 - Southern Minnesota SportZone

Southern Minnesota

Emily Kern

Cleveland Clippers

FALL 2021

Photo courtesy of Cleveland H.S. Activities Department

Page 2

Fall 2021

Maverick football falls out of top 25, looking to bounce back

By KOLE BUELOW Staff Writer

When it comes to the University of Minnesota State, Mankato, there are many successful teams that come up in conversation. Recently the Minnesota State football team has been at the peak of it, just recently making it to the NCAA Division II national championship game just a full season ago.

A lt houg h COV I D has tampered with fans’ excitement over the past season, the team has made its way back to the football field and is back to competing at a high level. The Mavericks have remained ranked inside the top 25 of the AFCA division II poll throughout the season, peaking at No. 2.

The team is now unranked after a tough loss to now No. 23 Wayne State but has still had a successful season up to this point. Minnesota State is still fourth in the overall NSIC standings with a 4-2 record, and is led by head coach Todd Hoffner.

The Mavericks use a two quarterback offense, with senior JD Ekowa and redshirt freshman Hayden Ekern equally throughout the game.

Both quarterbacks bring their own dynamic to the game, Ekowa with rushing upside, and Ekern, passing.

The Mavs have recently used several running backs while starter sophomore Kaleb Sleezer has battled an

Photo courtesy of Sport PIX

injury. Sleezer has missed a few weeks, but is on track to be ready for play in the next few weeks.

Sleezer leads the Mavericks backfield in yards and is currently tied with redshirt freshman Charles Coleman in rushing touchdowns. On the outside is junior wide receiver

Jalen Sample, a 6’6 target who combines his big frame and athleticism to lead the team in catches, yards, and is tied for receiving touchdowns with three.

Minnesota State also provides elite defensive talent in junior defensive tackle Bedale Naba and sophomore

linebacker Trent Carpenter.

The two are both top four in tackles for the team and combine for 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.

On the outside for the defense is a great secondary group led by senior cornerback Ty’Shonan Brooks, who leads the team in interceptions with

two.

The team combines for an average of over 40 points per game while allowing less than 24 per contest. The Mavs have been great so far this year and should make a push for the playoffs by the end of the season.

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Fall 2021

Page 3

No. 1 Mankato West is looking to finish the season undefeated

By DANIEL McELROY Sports Editor

When it comes to football in Mankato, West is always at the height of the conversation, especially in the 2021 season.

Through six games this season, the Mankato West Scarlets are undefeated at 6-0 and are absolutely dominating every opponent that comes their way.

The Scarlets are loving where they are at this season sitting at the No. 1 rank in all of class 5A football, and very deservedly so.

Mankato West has scored 299 points this season, averaging just under 50 points per game, while allowing just 13 points to their opponents, including four shutouts.

MW really proved they have what it takes to be at the top with a convincing 30-6 win over Rochester Mayo, the previously ranked No. 6 team in class 5A. Zander Dittbenner leads the team under center with 652 total passing yards, averaging 130.4 yards per game, 15 touchdowns, and just two interceptions through five games. Dittbenner is throwing on average 8.2 yards per attempt with 106.9 passer

Photo courtesy of Sport PIX

rating.

Dittbenner had his best game of the season when Owatonna came to town and the Scarletts won 42-0.

Dittbenner went off for 200 yards and four touchdowns, while throwing no interceptions. He went 12/21 on passing attempts, averaging 9.5 yards per

attempt. Dittbenner closed out the game with his highest passer rating of 129.

On top of that, Dittbenner rushed seven times for 66 yards and a touchdown, averaging 9.4 yards per attempt.

In the backfield, Walker Britz is the go to back, leading the team with 546 rushing

yards over 73 attempts on the season. Britz is averaging 7.5 yards per rushing attempt and has six touchdowns on the season.

Britz has had two breakout games on the season, the first at New Prague when Mankato West came back home with a 41-7 win.

Across 16 rushing

attempts, Britz rushed for 187 yards, averaging 11.7 yards per attempt with one rushing touchdown.

The dominant performance didn’t stop there, as he hit his season high rushing yards of 205 at Rochester Century, averaging 12.8 yards per attempt. Britz also hit his season high touchdowns in a single game of three touchdowns.

On the receiving end of things, Mekhi Collins leads the Scarlets in yards with 336, averaging a whopping 19.8 yards per reception.

Collins also leads the team in touchdowns with eight over five games.

Collins saw massive gains in Mankato West’s match against Owatonna with 125 yards over four receptions, averaging 31.2 yards per reception and one touchdown.

The Scarlet’s defense has allowed just one touchdown on the season through five games, and are looking to keep that going through their final two games of the season.

Next up is Northfield tomorrow night, and Wednesday is the famous Jug game against Mankato East at Blakeslee Stadium.

Page 4

Fall 2021

Photo Moment: Mankato West Scarlets Soccer

Photo courtesy of Sport PIX The Mankato West Scarlets girls soccer team has had a more than successful season thus far, wearing a 10-4-2 record (according to MN Star Tribune), and dominating any opponent coming their way. The Scarlets have outscored their opponent 55-17 in 16 games across the season, and have won by their largest margin of 10-0 against Faribault.

Fall 2021

Page 5

Mankato East looking strong with two left

Photo courtesy of Sport PIX

By DANIEL McELROY Sports Editor

Mankato East football is a very serious topic of conversation, especially when it comes to who is the better Mankato football team.

Despite West having its own very successful football team, East is right on it’s tail.

Mankato East is 5-1 on the year, only dropping the first game of the year to the undefeated Stewartville.

Since then, the Cougars have won five games in a row, scoring 164 total points, averaging 32.8 per game, while allowing 21 total points, an average of just 4.2 points per game.

According to MaxPreps. com, Mankato East is ranked at No. 25 in Class 5A Minnesota football.

Mankato East is coming off of their biggest win of the year, a 58-0 stomp over Albert Lea on the road.

One of Mankato East’s biggest wins came in a home match at Wolverton Stadium against Red Wing, where the Cougars took the win by a

score of 55-7.

Senior quarterback, Jacob Eggert lead the Cougars in passing going 11/13 in completions/attempts, passing for 197 yards, avraging 15.2 yards per attempt.

Eggert went on to throw for a whopping four touchdowns, zero interceptions, and a phenomenal 158.3 passer rating.

Eggert’s receivers were very spread out, allowing for a lethal offense that becomes very hard to cover.

Pulrah Gong led the Cougars in receiving yards with 63 yards across three receptions, averaging 21 yards per reception. Gong tagged on a touchdown in the contest.

Kaden Oachs caught two passes good for 53 yards in the win and a touchdown.

The Minnesota State Mavericks’ head coach Todd Hoffner’s son, Brady Hoffner, caught one pass for 10 yards in the contest.

The Cougars are looking to continue their win streak tomorrow night against Faribault, and Wednesday against West in the Jug game.

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Page 6

Fall 2021

Mankato Loyola Crusaders boys soccer look to postseason

By KOLE BUELOW Staff Writer

Section 2A of boys soccer is filled with talent and teams which include local high school co-op program, the Mankato Loyola Crusaders.

The Crusaders have already finished out their regular season but are onto the playoffs.

Loyola finished the season with an overall record of 7-72, and are now onto their biggest game of the season against Southwest Minnesota Christian in the section 2A boys soccer quarterfinal. The game is to be played tonight at 4:30 p.m. on Southwest Minnesota Christian’s home pitch.

The Crusaders were lucky enough to play Eagles earlier this season in early Sept., defeating the Eagles 3-0 on away soil. Mankato Loyola now gets the chance to prove superiority with a win in Edgerton, Minn. on Thursday to head to the semifinals.

Just like you would expect, the Crusaders are a great home favorite when on their own pitch, collecting a 3-2-2 record on home soil. The tides do turn on away soil, however, where the Crusaders are 4-5-0.

If they are to win against Southwest Minnesota Christian, they are going to need some home soil confidence and another great performance in Edgerton, Minn. to move on to the next

Courtesy Photo

round.

The Crusaders have shown to be a middle of the pack type team up to this point, but have an amazing record when playing sectional opponents up to this point. With this strength at their disposal, the Crusaders may be a dark horse favorite in each matchup they

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Mankato Loyola comes into their first playoff matchup of the season in Section 2A with a section record of 4-21. That is good enough for fifth in their section, only behind Pine Island, Fairmont, St. Peter, and sectional playoff opponent Southwest

Minnesota Christian.

Pine Island/ZumbrotaMazeppa is the clear favorite in the section, with a 3-0-0 sectional record and an overall record of 13-0-2. It will be tough to take down such a great opponent, but the Crusaders might have enough in them with a great sectional

record of their own to hang with the big dogs.

The Crusaders have yet to play Pine Island/ZumbrotaMazeppa this season, but did play second place Fairmont twice. They hung in with Fairmont both contests, losing one and tying in the other.

Fall 2021

Page 7

Photo moment: Mankato East boys soccer

Photo courtesy of Sport PIX The Mankato East Cougars boys soccer team is 9-6-1 (according to MN Star Tribune) on the season. While having a great record already, the Cougars are much better than what they’re record shows. East has beat teams with win margins of seven, while they only have two losses with a margin of more than one goal.

Page 8

Fall 2021

Photo moment: Maple River Eagles volleyball

Photo courtesy of Sport PIX The Maple River Eagles have had a rough outing on their season this year, managing only to grab one win (according to MN Star Tribune), but have never stopped fighting.

Northfield swim and dive has seen a bit more success this season, being able to grab wins at meets and recently, taking down Mankato East by a score of 96-82.

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Fall 2021

Page 9

St. Peter boys and girls CC, girls S&D

By DANIEL McELROY Sports Editor

In the plains of south central Minnesota, running is a favorite of many. With all of the views and beautiful trails that St. Peter has to offer, how can you not love running.

St. Peter High School cross country has raced in six events on the year this far, in Montgomery, Baylor Park, Mankato, Glencoe, and Fairmont, Minn.

St. Peter’s athletics program offers several different sports for it’s students to partake in during the fall season.

Of course there are the typical sports that come with the fall season, such as the

classic football, boys and girls soccer, and volleyball.

Adding to that though are the ever growing sports of girl’s swim and dive team, as well as cross country.

While the fall season of swim and dive is dedicated to only the girls team, cross country is available for teams of both genders.

Despite not having the greatest results in their competitions, St. Peter can still have some outstanding performers and make a name for themselves.

Cross country is a very competitive event in southern Minnesota, and being able to go up with the best of the best in the area is phenomenal.

Photos courtesy of Sport PIX

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Page 10

Fall 2021

Photo moment: Mankato West Scarlets boys soccer

Photo courtesy of Sport PIX The Mankato West Scarlets boys soccer team have had a very successful season in the Big 9 Conference, wearing a 12-4-0 record, and sit third in the conference. The Scarlets have only lost by more than one goal once this year, while winning by as much asan eight goal margin. The Scarlets played their section quarterfinal Tuesdaya against Hutchinson.

Fall 2021

Page 11

Photo moment: Mankato East Cougars girls soccer

Photo courtesy of Sport PIX The Mankato East Cougars are the powerhouse team of the Big 9 Conference in southern Minnesota, where they hold a 14-2 record, and sit atop the standings. The Cougars have only lost in 2-1 contests, while winning by a score of 10-0 more than once. East took on Worthington in the Section 2AA Quarterfinals on Tuesday, Oct. 12.

Photo courtesy of SPX Sports

Page 12

Fall 2021

Photo moment: Owatonna Huskies football

Photo courtesy of Sport PIX The Owatonna Huskies football team has had success throughout the season so far, holding a 4-2 record through six games, while sitting in fourth place in the Big Southeast Red conference Most recently, the Huskies took down Rochester John Marshall by a score of 41-0 in an absolutely dominating performance. Next up is New Prague on the road.

Fall 2021

Page 13

Bethany Lutheran volleyball ready to close out their season

By KOLE BUELOW Staff Writer

Bethany Lutheran College provides numerous sports for the Mankato public and its students to enjoy watching, one being their women’s volleyball team. The Vikings bring an exciting young team to the court, led by junior Alexis Morsching.

Morsching currently leads the team in kills with 196, while her two teammates freshman Morgan Goettlicher and junior Rilee Hohbein join her in the triple digit column.

Goettlicher currently has 125 kills on the season, and Hohbein, 114.

The Bethany Vikings have some impressive young additions coming into this season that include freshmen Maddi Wendland and Megan Gallagher. Wendland is an Arco, Minn. product, specializing in back-row defense and is currently the team leader in digs with 292.

Wendland is ranked fairly high nationally in digs as well, coming in at 59 in digs per set at 5.09. Gallagher leads the team in set assists by a good margin, totalling 353 so far this season.

Photo courtesy of Sport PIX

The team finds their strength in winning sets early and often. All of the Vikings’ wins have come after winning the first three sets, but struggle if the match continues on past that.

Not all that glitters is gold for the Vikings however, who also find themselves losing

most matches in the first three sets as well. If the Vikings can find a way to turn sets late in matches to take over, they can turn themselves into a promising team quickly.

The Vikings are run by head coach John Olmanson.

Olmanson entered his ninth year as the head coach of the

Bethany Lutheran volleyball team in 2021, and he is the winningest coach in program history since the team made their debut in NCAA Division III volleyball.

Olmanson has recently found the most success for the Vikings in recent years, coaching the team

to the UMAC postseason tournament the past four out of five seasons.

The Bethany Vikings have not had quite the season they would have hoped for, currently sitting at 4-15 overall with a 2-5 conference record despite their impressive young core.

With a 2-5 conference record in the UMAC, the Vikings find themselves sixth with a tough interconference, threegame away stretch ahead.

Fortunately, the Vikings do face Northland College at the end of the stretch, who they have historically done very well against and have already beaten twice this season six sets to none. Beyond that it does not look good, as they face teams who have historically done very well against them including some that have previously beat them handedly this season.

If the Vikings can turn sets late and capitalize on their opportunities, they should have no problem competing in the road ahead.

The Bethany Vikings regular season ends at the end of October, then, the team is hoping to qualify for the UMAC tournament.

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Page 14

Fall 2021

Cleveland volleyball ready to hand over star to MSU

Photo courtesy of Cleveland Athletiics

By DANIEL McELROY Sports Editor

With the season under their belts, Cleveland High School has had a year to remember.

According to MinnesotaScores.net, a sponsor of the Minnesota State High School League, the Cleveland High School Clippers volleyball team is sitting comfortably in second place in the ValleyEast conference with a 16-8 record.

They are just behind AldenConger in their conference, who is sitting in first 14-4.

Alden-Conger got the best of the Cleveland Clippers when they faced each other at the end of September, by a score of 3-1.

Cleveland High School came into the first set with confidence, wanting to prove who was the top dog in their conference, and made a very convincing run in the first set, winning it 25-9.

Unfortunately, that was all they would be able to manage, dropping the next three sets.

The one match has not defined their season though,

proving they have what it takes play with some of the best teams around.

Emily Kern (pictured on the front page) leads the team effort as one of the standout players not just at Cleveland High School, but the Valley Conference as a whole.

According to MaxPreps, in 30 sets played, Kern leads the team by a large margin in kills with 123, averaging 4.1 kills per set.

She is sitting at a comfortable 55.7% kill percentage, with a .407 hitting percentage.

The senior from Cleveland High School is getting set to close out the season with her team, followed by joining Minnesota State University in her freshman year for the Maverick volleyball team.

The Cleveland High School Clippers closed out their season with a 3-0 win over Madelia high school, and a match against Lake CrystalWellcome Memorial.

With their position right now, the Clippers are sitting in a great spot in preparation of the postseason, beginning with sections.

Fall 2021

Page 15

Photo moment: Minnesota State University volleyball

DYLAN ENGEL • The Reporter The Minnesota State University Mavericks volleyball team has had a middle of the pack season, where they are losing to the great teams, and beating the worse teams. The NSIC is one of the most competitive conferences for volleyball, if not the most. The Mavericks wear a 10-7 overall record (5-4 NSIC) and will take on Augustana and No. 5 Wayne State.

Waseca aces the season

By DANIEL McELROY Sports Editor

Waseca volleyball is one of the most exciting, competitive teams at Waseca High School, who will always give you a show to watch.

Waseca stands at second in the Big South East conference at 7-8 (5-3 BSE), just behind the powerhouse team in St. Peter (16-5, 8-0 BSE).

Waseca started off the year in very rough fashion, going 1-6 in their first seven matches (going 0-4 in the tournament play), although followed by a four match winning streak, and winning six of the last eight matches.

With just a couple of matches left in the regular season, head coach Jolene Hauger is still leaving room to grow.

“We still have a handful of new faces and some veteran players, and I feel we’re still growing and we’re still

working on our building years, so I’m very comfortable with where we’re at,” Hauger said about the position of the team at this point.

One of the veteran players that Hauger is pointing to, is senior libero Jadyn Olsem. “[Olsem] is someone I can count on to show up every single day,” Hauger said.

Hauger is very fond of her defenders, with Haylee Sommers being another standout player.

“She is another player that is just outstanding...What makes her standout is she has fantastic passing, great communication skills on and off the court and she just hustles,” said Hauger.

Hauger went on to say that this defensive tandem is like a “two-headed monster” when they play together.

Waseca closes out their season with matches against Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial and St. James Area.

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Page 16

Fall 2021

Minnesota State University Mavericks men’s hockey

Matt Dewkett via Maverick Athletics The Minnesota State Mavericks are off to a great start this season with a 3-1-0 record prior to conference play. The Mavericks will take on Northern Michigan in their first official CCHA match of the season at the Mayo Clinic Health System Events Center in Mankato Oct. 29-30. First, is the Ice Breaker Tournament held by Minnesota-Duluth.

By DANIEL McELROY Sports Editor

The Minnesota State Maverick hockey team got their season underway two weeks ago, with the defending National Champions, and the National Runner-ups in UMass and St. Cloud State, respectively.

Now with four games under their belts, the Mavericks hold a 3-1 record, with their only loss coming against the No. 2 St. Cloud State University after shutting them out the night before.

“We wanted to schedule as aggressively as possible,” head coach Mike Hastings said about what they had to do to be successful after their historic Frozen Four run, the first of it’s kind in program history.

Hastings has been the head coach for the Mavericks for nine season, and has been the winningest coach in all of NCAA Division I hockey since the time he joined Minnesota State.

Since joining, Hastings is 239-91-24 (.709), with

six WCHA regular-season champion titles, three WCHA postseason tournament titles, qualifying for the NCAA tournament six times, and bringing the team to it’s first ever Frozen Four. Along with that, Hastings has won two Spencer Penrose awards.

Since he’s been in Mankato, Hastings has coached one of the best goaltenders in the nation in Dryden McKay. McKay is a threetime WCHA Goaltending Champion (a feat that only Tony Esposito has accomplished prior to McKay), two-time WCHA Goaltender of the Year, Hobey Baker award finalist, and is on the verge of breaking history.

Following the Minnesota State shutout against the Huskies, McKay has tied former NHL goaltender Ryan Miller’s NCAA all-time shutout record at 26 total shutouts.

And he is only three games into his senior year.

In his three years leading up to this point, McKay is 75-15-4 with a 1.53 goals against average, and a .932

save percentage.

McKay doesn’t do it all, though.

Nathan Smith is the Maverick leading goal and point scorer through four games on the year with three goals and three assists, good for six points. Five of those six points came in the Mavericks first weekend of play when they traveled to the sold out crowd in Amherst, Mass.

Smith, a third round daft pick from the Winnipeg Jets, closed out last season with the second most goals, second most assists, and second most points with a 9-16-25 stat line.

“Smith is a guy who loves the game of hockey,” head coach Hastings said about the top goal scorer.

Smith is a shifty player, who makes great use of the space around him and phenomenal hands.

Smith will be looking to lead the Mavericks to victory when they take on Providence and Minnesota-Duluth or Michigan in the ice breaker tournament this weekend, and conference play after.

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Fall 2021

Page 17

Photo moments: Gustavus football and volleyball

Photo courtesy of Sport PIX Gustavus Adolphus College is 4-1 on their season so far, making waves in the MIAC conference. Gustavus’s lone loss came against Bethel in the beginning of October, by a score of 34-9. Gustavus managed to bounce right back though, and took down the College of St. Scholastica by a score of 72-7. Nest up, Gustavus will host Hamline in St. Peter.

Photo courtesy of Sport PIX

Page 18

Fall 2021

Strong defense at Maple River leads team to 5-1 record

Photo courtesy of Kathy Sohre The Maple River Eagles have one of the strongest defenses in the conference, averaging just 5.8 points allowed per game. The team is scoring an average of 36.5 points per game through six games on the year. Maple River will close out their season with matches against Le Sueur_Henderson tonight, and Sibley East Wednesday.

By DANIEL McELROY Sports Editor

Maple River High School takes football seriously.

Through six games on the year, Maple River stands tall with a 5-1 record and at first place in the South CentralBlue standings, tied with Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop.

Maple River has dominated just about every single game they have played this year, including the one loss to Redwood Valley, by a score of 8-7.

Maple River gave up just 88 yards of total offense to their opponent, while they climbed up to just shy of 300 yards of offense in the loss, but had a tough time in the red zone, going just 1 for 5.

“We kind of shot ourselves in the foot a little bit when we were in the red zone,” head coach of Maple River, Dusty Draeger said. “Our defense played tremendously,” he said.

Redwood’s one touchdown came from a failed snap over the Maple River punter’s head, where Redwood managed to snag it in the end

zone, and make the two-point conversion.

The one game does not define their season, though.

Through their other five games that they won, Maple River has outscored their opponents 212-27, proving why they are a force to be reckoned with.

With their 5-1 record, Maple River lands at rank No. 3 in the Class AA High School Varsity Football rankings, only behind Blooming Prairie at No. 2, and Chatfield at No. 1.

Draeger attributes part of their success due to their chemistry, having all 22 of their starters returning this year.

“The chemistry we have top to bottom, whether they’re a kid who plays one snap or all 140 snaps in a game, the support they give each other is something that I think is a huge benefit for our group,” Dreager said.

Something that head coach Draeger made known, was how much he loves being around the team. “[My favorite part about

them] is their sense of humor,” Draeger said.

With having so many players on the roster returning you become forced to get to know your team and everything about them.

Especially with some of your 22 of your returning starters from the previous year, actually be a two-three year starter.

And of course, playing the game with your team is just that much more fun when you’re winning.

With an average of 36.5 points per game for the Eagles, and just 5.8 points allowed per game, winning will come with the effort that goes into it.

Having such a dominant defense at this level is what wins teams championships, and this team is very well on the right track to get there and make a deep run in the postseason and state tournament.

Maple River has two games left on the season, tonight against Le Sueur-Henderson, and Wednesday against Sibley East.

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Fall 2021

Page 19

Saint Clair volleyball excels on their home court, finish out season

By KOLE BUELOW Staff Writer

Beginning in August, Mankato gets its first taste of high school volleyball as the St. Clair Cyclones compete for the first time.

This season was a rough home opener for the Cyclones, falling to Janesville-WaldorfPemberton in their first game 3-2 according to the Star Tribune.

It was a quick turnaround for the Cyclones, who found themselves winning their first home game the next Monday against Maple River. It was a 3-0 sweep of sets for St. Clair, and the start to a promising rest of the season.

The Cyclones have competed in many regular season games throughout the season including many tournament games in which they were invited to invitationals. St. Clair has competed in the W-EM, Wabasso, and Cyclone invitationals so far this season.

The Cyclones struggled in the earlier invitational tournaments, but were able to do fairly well in their own Cyclone invitational earlier this month according to the Star Tribune. Although they have found recent success, St. Clair does find themselves ranked outside of the top 10 in the state for division 2A volleyball.

The Cyclones do, however, find themselves in the middle of the pack in their

Photo courtesy of Sport PIX

conference. St. Clair has a conference record of 3-6 this season and an overall record of 7-13, which is good enough to be ranked fifth in their conference as of Oct. 11.

If you are looking to attend one of their matches, there is not much left to see. The Cyclones do, however, have a

great home record if you were to attend a game in person in their home court.

St. Clair struggles mightily on neutral and away courts, only having two wins to go along with 11 losses. Once home, the Cyclones improve to a great 5-3 overall record which is very intriguing if you

New Ulm Public finishes strong

By DANIEL McELROY Sports Editor

New Ulm public girls soccer closed out their regular season last weekend in a season they wish had gone a tad bit better.

The team played out their final game, going out in high fashion with a dominant performance and a 6-0 win against Mankato Loyola, their second shutout against that team.

The team closed out the regular season with a 6-8-2 record in the Big South Conference.

The record is good enough for third in the standings, sitting just behind the 7-6-2 St. Peter team, and the 12-4-0 (11-1-0 BSC) Waseca powerhouse squad.

Despite the losing record, head coach Jonathon Johnson only had good things to say about his team. “[What impressed me

the most] is their resilience.

We started out the season with a number of preexisting injuries, and they’ve done well to take care of those,” Johnson said.

“They’re focused on soccer and getting better so they’re doing what it takes and making sacrifices to improve their physical health.”

Although the team endured several injuries prior to and throughout the season, that didn’t stop them from getting goals on the board.

The team’s first two wins of the season were against Marshall and Worthington, where they put up five goals in each of the games, and even shutting out Marshall for their first win of the year.

New Ulm managed to shut out Mankato Loyola with a 4-0 win their first time around. Then, they took down Faribault in their most dominant performance of the year, winning 12-0 in late

September.

When this team wins, they win big.

Part of their success comes from their tandem style goalkeeping, between their sophomore goalkeeper, and an 8th grader.

“Both are great, our 8th grader played [against St. Peter] in the varsity game and did fantastic,” Johnson said.

She was able to hold St. Peter to zero goals allowed, doing her part in what ended as a 0-0 tie.

With the regular season coming to a close, the team has a very good opportunity to make a dark horse run in the playoffs, as head coach Johnson said they’re improving everyday still.”

With this group of girls staying focused on the task at hand, they can get anywhere and overcome any obstacle in their way, as it seems they’ve already been able to do it thus far.

are looking to see a game in person.

Coming up are matches against Martin LutherGHEC-Truman and Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial before the All Conference Meeting against Nicollet.

The Cyclones are then set to compete in the sub-section

tournament, and if all goes well, eventually the state tournament in November.

All matches are played some time around 7:00 p.m., unless they are played in tournament or invitational format.

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Fall 2021