Oct. 25, 2009
Contact: Jody Redman or Howard W. Voigt / MSHSL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

State Boys’ and Girls’ Soccer Tournament
Woodbury girls only team to defend a title

The 2009 State Soccer Tournament features only one defending champion. The girls of Woodbury are in the hunt for their second consecutive and sixth overall Class AA title. And they earned the top seed by the participating coaches.

Here are the other top seeds: Orono in Class A girls; Totino-Grace of Fridley in Class A boys; and Apple Valley in Class AA boys.

Statistics provided by qualified teams are available on the League Web site — www.MSHSL.org. Select the Media Guide link under Tournaments, then Fall, then Boys’ Soccer or Girls’ Soccer.

Class A Girls Highlights
Note: The only two teams that met during the regular season were Orono and The Blake School. They played to a 1-1 tie in early October.

No. 1 Seed - Section 6 - Orono (17-2-2) vs. Section 5 - Rogers (15-6) — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 29, at St. Cloud State University: The Orono Spartans, who were the No. 2 team in the final coaches poll, are returning after a two-year absence to make their sixth appearance. Seventh-grader Sophie Babo led this year’s squad with 21 goals and seven assists. Senior keeper Grete Miller played in every game and allowed just 10 goals all season. As a team Orono averages 3.95 goals per game. The Rogers Royals are making their debut tournament appearance. They were not ranked in the final coaches poll and did not submit team or individual statistics.

No. 4 Seed - Section 8 – East Grand Forks (22-0) vs. Section 1 – La Crescent (17-4) — 5:30 p.m., Oct. 29, at St. Cloud State University: The Green Wave of East Grand Forks are making their first tournament appearance. They were ranked No. 8 in the final coaches poll and they had 13 shutouts during the season. Senior Francie Richie had 43 points on 32 goals and 11 assists this year. Junior keeper Chelsey Grassel allowed 13 goals and went 21-0 in the net. East Grand Forks averages 6.9 goals per game while holding its opponents to 0.59. The unranked Lancers of La Crescent return to tournament action after a one-year absence. This is their fourth appearance and they averaged 3.9 goals this year. Jena Kadlec, a junior, paced La Crescent with 27 goals and 13 assists during the season. Ninth-grader Cheyanne Carpenter was the team’s top goalkeeper and she made 69 saves during the regular season.

No. 2 Seed - Section 3 – The Blake School, Minneapolis (15-3-1) vs. Section 2 – Mankato West (12-6-2) — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 29, at Roseville Area High School: The Bears of The Blake School are in the hunt for their second title; they won previously in 2000. This is their fourth appearance, but their first since 2007. They were ranked No. 6 in the final coaches poll and did not provide team or individual statistics. The unranked Scarlets of Mankato West are making their first tournament appearance. They averaged 2.5 goals per game as a team this year and held their opponents to an average of 1.55. Ninth-grader Breeta Oxnard set a new school record with 11 assists this year and she also added six goals for 17 points. Sophomore Alyssa Brinkman also had 17 points with 16 goals and one assist. Ninth-grade keeper Jamie Wright allowed 29 goals on 206 shots and compiled a 12-6-2 record. Head coach Crissy Makela was also named the Section 2A Coach of the Year this season. It was the second time she has received the honor.

No. 3 Seed - Section 4 – East Ridge, Woodbury (13-6-1) vs. Section 7 – Cloquet (18-3-1) — 5:30 p.m., Oct. 29, at Roseville Area High School: The East Ridge Raptors are making their first tournament appearance. The school, which is in its first year of existence as the third high school in the South Washington County School District, culled some of its players from a stellar Woodbury program which has won five titles in the past 10 years. The Raptors were not ranked in the final poll and did not provide team or individual statistics. Cloquet, which includes students from Cloquet Christian Academy, returns for a sixth appearance. The Lumberjacks were not ranked in this year’s final coaches poll and they made their last tournament appearance in 2007. Junior Kaitrin Rathe was the top keeper for Cloquet this season, allowing 17 goals while compiling a 16-3-1 season record. Junior Jessie Bryan led the offensive charge for the Lumberjacks; she had 28 points on 13 goals and 15 assists. As a team Cloquet averages 3.85 goals per game.

Class AA Girls Highlights
No. 1 Seed - Section 4 - Woodbury (19-0-1) vs. Section 1 – Lakeville North (12-5-3) — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 29 at Park High School, Cottage Grove: The Royals of Woodbury were the top-ranked team in this year’s final coaches poll. They won the championship last year and are making their eighth consecutive appearance. If they win this year it would be their sixth title in 11 appearances. In addition to last year, the Royals also won in 1999, 2003, 2004, and 2006. During regular-season play Woodbury defeated Eagan 2-0 and Edina 1-0. Seniors Catherine Sessions and Alyssa DuVal both had 20 points for the Royals this year; DuVal scored 10 goals and Sessions added another five. Senior keeper Brittany Cygan went 16-0-1 in the net and made 36 saves on 38 attempts. As a team Woodbury averages 3.41 goals per game while holding its opponents to 0.18. The unranked Panthers of Lakeville North are making their first tournament appearance. During the regular season, Lakeville North played Eagan to a 1-1 tie. The Panthers did not provide team or individual statistics.

No. 4 Seed – Section 3 - Eagan (18-2-1) vs. Section 5 – Centennial, Circle Pines (15-2-2) — 5:30 p.m., Oct. 29, at Park High School, Cottage Grove: The Eagan Wildcats enter the tournament as the No. 5 team in the final coaches poll. They are making their fourth tournament appearance, but their first since 2001. During regular-season play Eagan tied Lakeville North 1-1. The Wildcats set a new school record with 93 goals this year and were led by senior Lauren Bauer. Bauer, who is the school’s all-time leading scorer and had 24 goals and eight assists this year. For her career, she has 70 goals and 40 assists. Sophomore Kristen Knutson went 18-2-1 in the net for Eagan and allowed 16 goals. The Cougars of Centennial are making their first tournament appearance. They were ranked No. 6 in the final poll this year. During the regular season, Centennial defeated Elk River 3-0 and lost to Anoka 1-0. The Cougars did not provide team or individual statistics.

No. 2 Seed - Section 2 – Edina (16-1-2) vs. Section 7 – Anoka (14-5-1) — 5:30 p.m., Oct. 28, at St. Cloud State University: This is the second meeting between these two teams. Edina won the regular-season game 4-3 in overtime. The Edina Hornets return after a one-year absence to make their 10th appearance. They won one previous title in 1986 and enter this year’s tournament as the No. 3 team in the final coaches poll. In addition to Anoka, the Hornets faced two other qualifiers during the regular season: they lost to Woodbury 1-0, and tied Wayzata twice, 1-1 each time. Edina averages 3.9 goals per game while its opponents average 0.68 goals against them. Seniors Corinne Bule and Julie Sierks are the highest scoring duo in Edina history. Bule had 43 points on 32 goals and 11 assists this year, and Sierks added 17 goals and 14 assists. Junior Caitlin Schnorbach and senior Nora Forbes both had stellar seasons guarding the net for the Hornets. Schnorbach went 7-1-2 and Forbes went 6-1. The Anoka Tornadoes, who were not ranked in the final coaches poll, are making their fifth appearance. They won one previous title in 1989 and they made their last appearance in 1997. In addition to Edina, the Tornadoes also defeated Centennial 1-0 and Elk River 5-2 during the regular season. Senior Taylor Bare led the Anoka offense this year with 13 goals and 15 assists. Keeper Sonia Smith, a sophomore, went 14-5-1 in the net and has a 90.1 save percentage. As a team, Anoka averages 2.8 goals per game.

No. 3 Seed - Section 6 – Wayzata (15-0-5) vs. Section 8 – Elk River (5-11-2) — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 28, at St. Cloud State University: These two teams met once during the regular season, with Wayzata winning 4-0. The No. 4-ranked Wayzata Trojans are making their second consecutive and 21st overall appearance. They won previous championships in 1991, 1996, 2000, and 2002, and finished third last year. After facing Elk River, the Trojans also tied Edina 1-1 twice during the regular season. Wayzata, which averages 3.1 goals per game, had 11 shutouts during the regular season and allowed only three goals in its final nine games. Junior Taylor Wodnick paced the Trojans’ offense with 17 goals and 11 assists. Sophomore Megan Pyrz and junior Kalena Litch split the net-minding duties for Wayzata. Pyrz went 8-0-3 and made 45 saves, and Litch went 6-0-2 and made 29 saves. The unranked Elk River Elks return for their third appearance, but their first since 1998. In addition to Wayzata, the Elks also lost to Centennial 3-0 and Anoka 5-3 during the regular season. Kelsey Daulton, a junior, led Elk River with 12 goals and four assists this year. Senior Jamie Munnelly played 520 minutes in the net and compiled a season record of 2-6-1. The Elks averaged 1.2 goals per game this year and their opponents averaged 2.4 against them.

Class A Boys Highlights
No. 1 Seed - Section 5 – Totino-Grace, Fridley (17-3) vs. Section 6 – St. Louis Park (12-8-1) — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 28, at Hopkins High School: This is a rematch of a regular-season game that Totino-Grace won 1-0 in overtime. The Eagles of Totino-Grace, who placed second last year, are making their second consecutive and seventh overall appearance. They were the No. 1 team in the final coaches poll and are in the hunt for their third title. They won previously in 2002 and 2004. The Eagles did not face any other qualifiers other than St. Louis Park. Totino-Grace had 13 shutouts during the regular season this year and averaged3.4 goals per game. Paul Yonga, a senior, paced the Eagles with 15 goals and 16 assists. Senior Ryan Onwukwe was the top keeper for the Eagles; he went 16-3 on the season and has an 82.0 save percentage. Unranked St. Louis Park is making its second consecutive and third overall appearance. Last year the Orioles earned runner-up honors in the Class AA tournament. In addition to Totino-Grace, the Orioles also lost to Simley 3-0 during regular-season play. St. Louis Park did not provide team or individual statistics.

No. 4 Seed - Section 8 – St. Cloud Cathedral (17-0-2) vs. Section 4 – Mahtomedi (14-3-3) — 5:30 p.m., Oct. 28, at Hopkins High School: The St. Cloud Cathedral Crusaders, who were No. 4 in the final coaches poll, return to make their third consecutive and eighth overall appearance. They lost in the quarterfinals of the 2008 tournament. The Crusaders did not face any other qualifiers during the regular season and did not provide team or individual statistics. The Zephyrs of Mahtomedi return to tournament action after a two-year absence. This is their fifth appearance and they were ranked No. 7 in the final coaches poll. During the regular season the Zephyrs played Simley to a 0-0 tie. Senior Will Corcoran scored 16 goals and added eight assists to lead Mahtomedi during the regular season. Senior James Neher was the top keeper for the Zephyrs. His season record was 14-3-3 and he has an 89.7 save percentage. Mahtomedi averages 2.9 goals per game.

No. 2 Seed - Section 3 – Simley, Inver Grove Heights (17-1-4) vs. Section 1 - Austin (14-5) — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 30, at Mounds Roseville Area High School: The Simley Spartans, who were ranked No. 3 in the final coaches poll, are making their debut appearance. During the regular season Simley defeated St. Louis Park 3-0 and tied Mahtomedi 0-0. The unranked Austin Packers are also making their first tournament appearance. Austin, which also includes students from Austin Pacelli, lost to Mankato West 1-0 during the regular season. Neither school provided team or individual statistics.

No. 3 Seed - Section 7 – Hermantown (20-1) vs. Section 2 – Mankato West (18-2) — 5:30 p.m., Oct. 30, at Roseville Area High School: The Hermantown Hawks are making their debut appearance at this year’s tournament. They were ranked No. 6 in the final poll and did not face any other qualifiers during the regular season. Seniors Brandon Crusan and Charlie Comnick had 30 and 29 points, respectively, during the regular season. Crusan scored a team-high 22 goals and Comnick led the Hawks with 12 assists. Senior keeper Andrew Samberg had 16 shutouts during the regular season and allowed only six goals. His save percentage is 96.1. Hermantown averages 3.14 goals per game, while holding its opponents to an average of 0.29. The unranked Scarlets of Mankato West return to make their third appearance; their last was in 2007. During the regular season Mankato West defeated Austin 1-0. Senior Matthew Jacobs led the Scarlets with 14 goals and three assists this year. Mankato West averages 3.0 goals per game and opponents average 1.3 against them.

Class AA Boys Highlights
No. 1 Seed - Section 3 – Apple Valley (21-0) vs. Section 7 – Blaine (13-7-1) — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 29, at Hopkins High School: The Apple Valley Eagles were the No. 1 team in the final coaches poll, and are making their fourth consecutive and 16th overall appearance. They won previous titles in 1984, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1997, 1998, and 2006. Last year they lost in the quarterfinals. During regular-season play this year Apple Valley defeated Bloomington Jefferson 4-0. This year’s team averages 5.52 goals per game while holding its opponents to 0.24. Senior David Rosenthal led Apple Valley with 32 goals and 17 assists during the regular season. Junior keeper Tim Van Beck played in every game and has a save percentage of 90.2. The Bengals of Blaine, who were not ranked in the final poll, are making their ninth tournament appearance. Their last appearance was in 2006. During the regular season Blaine lost to Elk River 2-0 and defeated Champlin Park 2-0. Stephen Ricks, a senior, paced the Bengals with 12 goals and 11 assists. Junior keeper Chance Berg played in every game and had 12 shutouts this year. He has an 89.3 save percentage. Head coach Berry Arrowsmith also earned his 200th career win this season.

No. 4 Seed - Section 8 – Elk River (12-4-3) vs. Section 1 – Northfield (13-4-3) — 5:30 p.m., Oct. 29, at Hopkins High School: Elk River returns for its fifth appearance, but first since 2002. This year Elk River defeated both Wayzata 2-1 and Champlin Park 2-1 during the regular season. The Elks, who average 2.4 goals per game, were ranked No. 8 in the final coaches poll. Senior Stephen Kaminsky had 21 points for Elk River this year on 15 goals and six assists. Northfield is making its fourth appearance under this name, but its first since 2007. Northfield/ARTech also made two additional appearances. The unranked Raiders did not face any other qualifiers this year and did not provide team or individual statistics.

No. 2 Seed - Section 4 - Woodbury (15-0-3) vs. Section 5 – Champlin Park (11-7) — 7:30 p.m., Oct. 30, at Park High School, Cottage Grove: This is the second meeting for these two teams; Woodbury won the first game 6-1. The Woodbury Royals, who were ranked No. 2 in the final coaches poll, are making their sixth appearance, but first since 2005. Woodbury did not face any other qualifiers during regular-season play. Junior Eric Miller paced the Royals’ offense with 16 goals and six assists this year. Senior Peter Runquist allowed four goals over 11 games and went 8-0-3 on the season. As a team the Royals average 3.0 goals per game while holding their opponents to 0.44. The unranked Rebels of Champlin Park are making their third tournament appearance, but their first since 2004. In addition to Woodbury, the Rebels also lost to Blaine 2-0, Elk River 2-1, and Wayzata 2-1. Champlin Park did not provide team or individual statistics.

No. 3 Seed - Section 2 – Bloomington Jefferson (12-4-4) vs. Section 6 – Wayzata (10-6-4) — 5:30 p.m., Oct. 30, at Park High School, Cottage Grove: The Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars, who placed third last year, are making their second consecutive appearance and their 11th overall. If they win it would be their second title; they won previously in 2004. During regular-season play Bloomington Jefferson lost to Apple Valley 4-0. The Jaguars were No. 10 in the final coaches poll. The unranked Wayzata Trojans return after a one-year absence to make their 11th appearance. They won two previous titles in 1985 and 2005. Wayzata lost to Elk River 2-1 and defeated Champlin Park 4-2 during the regular season this year. Neither school provided team or individual statistics.

The Seeding Process
The seeding process had all 32 coaches of the section champions log onto a special page of the League Web site. Each coach then ranked the other teams one through seven. The highest and lowest rankings for each team were discarded, leaving five rankings for each team. From those rankings, the top four seeds were selected. In conference calls with all eight head coaches of each class and gender, League Associate Director Jody Redman announced the top four seeds. Coaches association representative Greg Juba blindly drew the four remaining teams to establish the opponent for the seeded teams.

Official Tournament Ball
The official state soccer tournament ball is the Nike T90 II Catalyst.

The Schedule
After this week’s quarterfinal rounds outdoors Wednesday through Friday, all games will be played inside the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

Class A girls semifinals will be played at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 2, followed by the Class A boys semifinals at noon and 2 p.m., and the Class AA boys semifinals at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

On Tuesday, Nov. 3, the Class A boys will play their third-place game at 8 a.m., followed by the Class A girls third-place game at 10 a.m. The Class AA girls will play their semifinals at noon and 2 p.m., followed by the Class AA boys third-place match-up at 4 p.m.

The tournament concludes on Thursday, Nov. 5, with the Class AA girls third-place game at 8 a.m., followed by the Class A girls championship game at 10 a.m., the Class A boys championship game at 12:30 p.m., the Class AA girls championship game at 3 p.m., and the Class AA boys championship game at 5:30 p.m.
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Tournament results will be posted on the League Web site — www.MSHSL.org.