2024 Soccer State Tournament: Class AA Girls Championship

Minnesota’s most successful girls soccer program continues to prosper. 

Mahtomedi added another state championship to an overflowing treasure trove following a 2-0 victory over top-seeded Holy Angels in the Class AA title game on Friday, Nov. 1 at U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis. Senior midfielder Cecilia Emery scored in the 25^th minute and senior midfielder Anslea Ulschmid added the clincher in the 65^th minute to send the No. 2-seeded Zephyrs to their 11^th state championship and first in the Class AA field. 

Former Mahtomedi girls soccer coach Mike Redmond was the architect of the program that won Class A championships in 1997, 1999, 2004 and 2005, respectively. His longtime assistant was Dave Wald, who took over the program and has since added seven championships as the head coach.

The Zephyrs (19-2-1) has had another run of dominance of late. They won Class A crowns in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021. The only interruption in that spree was the global pandemic when the state tournament wasn’t played in 2020. 

“They are all really special,” Wald said of the many championships.

The victory also reversed a loss to Holy Angels in the Class AA championship game in 2022. 

Mahtomedi’s latest championship was built on balanced and timely offense and fortified by a defense that surrendered little. The Zephyrs posted 17 shutouts during the season, including three in a row during the state tournament as they outscored the opposition 12-0. The Zephyrs gave up just seven goals all season

Holy Angels (20-2-0), playing in its third consecutive Class AA championship game, had two losses to state championship teams: Mahtomedi and Wayzata, who earlier in the day captured the Class AAA crown.