![Girls' soccer goes out fighting with a #2 finish at State tournament]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1667842822/stpaulsummit/wtwo6xq0mhy4tmevok6e/GirlsRunnerUps.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1667842822/stpaulsummit/wtwo6xq0mhy4tmevok6e/GirlsRunnerUps.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1667842822/stpaulsummit/wtwo6xq0mhy4tmevok6e/GirlsRunnerUps.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1667842822/stpaulsummit/wtwo6xq0mhy4tmevok6e/GirlsRunnerUps.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1667842822/stpaulsummit/wtwo6xq0mhy4tmevok6e/GirlsRunnerUps.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1667842822/stpaulsummit/wtwo6xq0mhy4tmevok6e/GirlsRunnerUps.jpg","width":2200}])
The girls' soccer team's exceptional State Tournament run came to an end on Friday, November 4, with a 3-2 loss to St. Anthony Village in the championship game. It was a hard-fought match against a tough St. Anthony team, which got on the board only 105 seconds into the first half and then twice again in the second half. The Spartans never gave up the entire game, cutting the lead to within one on two separate occasions. The Spartans' first goal came from Sawyer Bollinger Danielson '25 in the 56th minute to cut the lead to 2-1; later, Maryeva Gonzalez '23 made it 3-2 with less than 11 minutes remaining in regulation. "We went out fighting," said senior goalie Lindsay Browne '23 of her team's performance.
After finishing the regular season with a solid 6-5-3 overall record, SPA dialed up the intensity in the postseason under first-year Head Coach Aileen Guiney. In Section 3A competition, the #2-seeded Spartans defeated Hiawatha Collegiate 8-0 in the quarterfinals and St. Croix Lutheran Academy 2-0 in the semifinals, advancing to the finals against rival Minnehaha Academy. The Spartans, who were beaten twice by the Redhawks in the regular season, were looking for redemption in the section championship and got it, beating Minnehaha 1-0 and advancing to the State Tournament at U.S. Bank Stadium for the first time since 2016.
At State, SPA received the #3 seed and advanced to the title game after defeating St. Charles 1-0 in the opening round and IMAC rival Breck in an intense double-overtime game that eventually went to penalty kicks, with SPA outshooting the Mustangs 3-1 to punch their ticket to the championship match.
Individual accolades for the team included:
MSHSL All-Tournament Team: Sawyer Bollinger Danielson '25, Andrea Gist '23, Elizabeth Tuttle '26, and Annie Zhang '25
All-State and All-Conference: Sawyer Bollinger Danielson '25 and Annie Zhang '25
All-Conference Honorable Mention: Lucia Gonzalez ‘26, Clare Ryan Bradley ‘26, and Elizabeth Tuttle ‘26