GIRLS SOCCER: Jacks find few chances in slick Section 8-3A quarterfinal, fall at STMA
Oct. 13—ST. MICHAEL — Goals were going to be hard to come by on Wednesday in St. Michael.
While the sixth-seeded Bemidji High School girls soccer team matched up against third-seeded St. Michael-Albertville in the quarterfinal round of the Section 8-3A Tournament, chilling rain and wind whipped the pitch, crafting slick, piercing conditions for the two teams to play through.
Ultimately, though, the skies cleared up, and the Knights took advantage at home. First, Holland Kneefe controlled a close-range, cross-field pass from Sadie Strait and looped the ball off the outstretched hands of Lumberjacks goalkeeper Kiera Nelson, scoring from just outside the 18-yard box in the 50th minute.
That gave STMA a 1-0 lead — an advantage they doubled in the 73rd minute with a BHS own goal off a Knights corner kick, sealing a 2-0 win and bringing the Jacks' season to an end.
Despite five first-half corner kicks, Bemidji (8-6-3) mustered only one shot on frame over the course of the contest, as STMA's backline shut down several opportunities. The Lumberjacks countered by closing up most chances for the Knights (6-7-4), but STMA's successful second-half charge made the difference.
"We knew they'd be a tough defensive team going in, just based on how many goals they've allowed this season," BHS head coach Logan Larsen said. "The opportunities that we had that we should have scored on were corner kicks, which we've worked on. They didn't allow our dummy run, and we just didn't put the right heads on the ball before they did."
Nelson finished with three saves in her final appearance for the Jacks before moving on to the Bemidji State women's soccer team, while St. Michael-Albertville's Brynn Hedberg posted one.
BHS graduates seniors Ella Baumgartner, Gracee Bieber, Marah Bitter, Kjerstin Ekhoff, Morgan Myers, Nelson, Bella Webb, Emma Wright and Sage Zetah-Cornelius from the program. After Wednesday's game, Larsen praised how that group shaped the 2022 Lumberjacks into a better team over the course of the year.
"My hope is that the younger players recognize how big a role leadership has to play," Larsen said. "These seniors weren't passive leaders. They were very active, they communicated. And that wasn't just in practice, or halftime speeches to rile them up. It was on the field. It was giving direction, which can be tough for some players because some players just don't like to be told what to do.
"But they took the helm, they gave structure. And no coach can do that as well as a good leader on the field. So they led us to more wins, definitely more wins than we would have had if they didn't play that massive role."
St. Michael-Albertville 2, Bemidji 0
BHS 0 0 — 0
STMA 0 2 — 2
First half — No scoring.
Second half — 1, STMA GOAL, Kneeve (Strait), 50'; 2, STMA GOAL, own goal, 73'.
Saves — Nelson (BHS) 3; Hedberg (STMA) 1.
