Edina earned a great deal of attention for taking a 19-0 record into the Class 3A girls' soccer state tournament semifinals in 2021. The Hornets, while still potent this fall, carry three losses down the stretch of the regular season.
Meanwhile, a trio of Class 3A teams remain undefeated this week: Blaine, Sartell-St. Stephen and Wayzata. Coaches of all three teams agreed to tempt fate and share what makes their teams special. Turns out, there's more than one way to sustain a memorable run.
Blaine: Standout turns playmaker
For Blaine (11-0-1), it all starts with Kendall Stadden. A favorite for Ms. Soccer, Stadden has elevated her playmaking skills. The first story coach Scott Zachmann shared about Stadden, who committed to the Gophers, was a hustle play against Totino-Grace. Tied 0-0 late in regulation, the teams looked headed for overtime until Stadden struck.
Hustling to get the ball back, Stadden sent it toward teammate Devon Torgerson, who buried a one-timer.
"She's doing a better job of not just putting her head down and trying to score," Zachmann said. "I told her, 'I don't care how many goals you score, just make plays.' "
Far from just the Stadden Show, Blaine is getting production from a talented junior class. Carly Anderson, Sydney Sutherland, who made a verbal commitment to Bemidji State, Peyton Padilla, Torgerson and Tessa Zachmann give the Bengals the requisite talent to make their first state tournament appearance since 2018.
Wayzata: On the attack
Wayzata took second at the 2018 state tournament and appears poised to make another championship game run. Tony Pesznecker, in his 33rd season as a head coach, likes the Trojans' mix of returning talent and experience.
Wayzata (12-0-1) has effectively played keepaway this season.
"We're possessing and attacking more than we're defending," Pesznecker said.
Going into the Sept. 29 game against Hopkins, the Trojans were led in scoring by Grace Estby (10 goals, six assists), Amya Conway (five goals, one assist) and Lily Nayar (four goals, seven assists). Estby and Summer Seamans, Pesznecker said, "run the whole show" from the midfield. In goal, Wayzata enjoys a similarly high level of play from seniors Olivia Bellini and Becca Carroll.
"We want to be playing our best soccer at the right time," Pesznecker said. "You only need to win six games at the end to win a state title."
Sartell-St. Stephen: Shades of Cinderella
That's the type of result Sartell-St. Stephen (11-0-1) would enjoy. Achieving that, coach Roy Snyder said, would necessitate what many would consider a Cinderella run.
"We don't play a comparable schedule to Blaine or Wayzata because of our conference and location, so it's probably not fair to compare us to those schools," Snyder said. "We haven't done enough to be put in that category, but this is a very good team and I think we can compete in our section with top teams like Elk River, Rogers and St. Michael-Albertville."
The Sabres welcome Rogers to town Saturday for a great test of their postseason mettle. High-scoring duo Chloe Turner (23 goals) and Reese Kloetzer (12) "have been in fantastic form all season in front of goal and both are creating lots of scoring chances for other players as well," Snyder said. "Our combination play has been a strength in our attack."
