2024 Soccer State Tournament: Class AAA Boys Semifinals
Posted: Wednesday, October 30, 2024 - 1:14 PM
Playing heart-stopping soccer is working well for the Eagan boys soccer team this postseason.
After an overtime victory last week in the Class AAA quarterfinals, the No. 4-seeded Wildcats again needed extra time to record a thrilling 1-0 victory over top-seeded Minneapolis Washburn in the semifinals on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at U.S. Bank Stadium. Senior midfielder Jake Sondag’s impressive, never-give-up-attitude resulted in the game’s only goal with 4:21 left in the second overtime, a victory that sends the Wildcats (19-1-1) into the big-school championship game for the first time in program history.
After 80 minutes of scoreless regulation, a time when numerous scoring opportunities were near misses on each end, another 10 minutes of overtime couldn’t break the tie. But in a rapid sequence, that all changed.
Sophomore forward Zayan Oliyath engineered the scoring play that covered 70 yards with a long outlet pass that hugged the near sideline. Sondag corralled the long pass and sent the ball into the box to junior midfielder Eric Noll. A second later, Noll freed himself to fire a shot that was turned aside.
Sondag, hustling in from the right side, put himself in position to get a one-touch on the carom from a yard out. The ball rolled slowly over the goal line and a bench-clearing celebration followed. The center official met momentarily with the linesman to confirm the goal.
“I got just enough on it,” Sondag said. “It seemed like it took a while to go in.”
Minneapolis Washburn (15-1-3) was attempting to become the first school from the Minneapolis City Conference to win a soccer championship.
The Millers nearly continued that quest five minutes into overtime when senior forward Julian Brower-Snelson and freshman forward Lucas Neu hit the right post on successive shots.
In the other semifinal, No. 2 Maple Grove earned a second consecutive berth in the championship game with a 3-1 victory over unseeded Andover. It was a rematch of a scoreless draw in late September during the Northwest Suburban Conference schedule. That tie has been the only blemish on Maple Grove’s record, which sits at 19-0-1.
Senior midfielder Ike Deuel and sophomore forward Parker Carlson scored goals in the second half to send the Crimson to the Class AAA title game again. A year ago, Maple Grove finished runner-up to Wayzata. The Crimson were also the big-school runner-up in 1998.
Senior forward Garren Farrens gave Maple Grove an early lead in the sixth minute, but Andover (11-4-3) responded on a tally by senior forward Caden Hanson in the 30th minute.
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