Six SPA soccer student-athletes take home All-State honors for fall 2021 season; nine more earn All-Conference and All-Conference Honorable Mention

Six SPA soccer student-athletes from both the boys' and girls' teams have been named to the Minnesota All-State Team by Section 3A committee members. In addition to the six All-State honorees, another five Spartans were named All-Conference and another four were named All-Conference Honorable Mention--a total of 15 SPA soccer student-athletes to be honored with postseason awards for the Fall 2021 season.

On the boys' team, Cooper Bollinger Danielson '23, Gregory Forsberg '22, and Leo Larson '22 (pictured top row, left to right) take home All-State honors for the first time in their SPA careers. The three have all had exceptional seasons: Bollinger Danielson leads the Spartans with 15 goals and 15 assists on the year; Larson has scored six goals this season, and Forsberg has added four assists. In addition to their All-State honors, all three were also named All-Conference, as were teammates Mac Brown '22 and Zekiah Juliusson '22. Two additional Spartans, Yash Kshirsagar '23 and Ezra Straub '25, were named All-Conference Honorable Mention.

"Cooper, Gregory, and Leo have been the engine that has kept this team going all season," says boys' Head Coach Max Lipset. "Cooper has put goals on the board at crucial moments all season, Greg has anchored our defensive efforts, and Leo has been the link between our offense and defense." Lipset also praises his All-Conference and Honorable Mention players: "To have Mac, Zekiah, Yash, and Ezra take home All-Conference and All-Conference Honorable mention honors is a great testament to how balanced our team is," says Lipset. "We wouldn't be where we are this season without every single one of them."

For the girls, Sawyer Bollinger Danielson '25, Mia Hofmann '22 and Naomi Straub '22 (pictured bottom row, left to right) took home All-State honors. Hofmann has had a stellar senior season, scoring 22 goals on the year while contributing 7 assists. Straub was solid on the field all season, scoring 3 goals while adding 9 assists. Bollinger Danielson has stepped up in her freshman year, scoring 13 goals and tallying 6 assists for the Spartans in her young Spartan career. All three girls were named All-Conference in addition to All-State; All-Conference honors were also awarded to teammates Heidi Deuel '23, Andrea Gist '22, and Annie Zhang '25. All-Conference Honorable Mention honors went to Maryeva Gonzalez '23 and Aurelia Meza '24.

"I am thrilled for Mia, Naomi, and Sawyer," says girls' Head Coach Paul Armstrong. "Mia and Naomi have been exceptional leaders and teammates all season long--they both have a great knack for putting the ball in the net. Sawyer has a very bright future ahead of her and I am excited to see all that she can improve on over the course of her career here at SPA. I am also thrilled for Heidi, Andrea, Annie, Maryeva, and Aurelia to be taking home All-Conference and All-Conference Honorable Mention honors," Armstrong adds. "Every one of them played a huge role in our success this season, and they are incredibly deserving of this recognition."