Championship Saturday:Orono 1 Holy Angels Class AA Boys Soccer Championship
Posted: Saturday, November 6, 2021 - 5:20 PM
Limiting an opponent in shots, quality scoring chances and set pieces have been a common theme for the Orono boys soccer team this season.
The top-seeded Spartans got that formula to work one last time in a 1-0 victory over Holy Angels in the Class AA Boys Soccer State Championship game on Saturday, Nov. 6 at U.S. Bank Stadium. An early goal by senior midfielder Andrew DeWitt in the third minute was enough for Orono’s suffocating defense to take over and pave the way to a championship for the first time since 2015. In finishing the season 20-1-1, the Spartans yielded just 15 goals. In three tournament games, Orono surrendered one goal, and limited Holy Angels (15-4-2), the Class A champion in 2019, to two shots.
Orono, making its 10th state tournament appearance, scored the game’s lone goal when DeWitt, following a throw-in from the right side, flicked the ball into the goal. The offensive pressure continued, but a second goal didn’t materialize.
As the game progressed, Orono contained Holy Angels into its half of the field, restricting the Stars to free kicks from a distance. In the second half, Orono continued to press in looking for an insurance goal, and the Spartans thought they had one by senior Broderick Cook, but it was disallowed because of an offside call.
Orono earned its way to a championship game with a 6-0 victory over Byron in the quarterfinals and then a 3- 1 win over Willmar in the semifinals.
Holy Angels, making its fifth state tournament appearance, was also the runner-up in 2000 and 2001, respectively. The Stars qualified for a chance at another state crown with a 2-1 victory over St. Cloud Tech in the quarterfinals and a 3-2 win over Mahtomedi in the semifinals.
All-Tournament Team
- Bradley Pavon, Byron, F
- Menkem Mehri, Worthington, MF
- Jordan Aultman, Cloquet-Esko-Carlton, MF
- Andrew Holmes, St. Cloud Tech, MF
- Abdullahi Mohamud, Willmar, MF
- Anthony Reyes Jimenez, Willmar, MF
- Yassin Hussein, Mahtomedi, MF
- Lucas Yee Yick, Mahtomedi, MF
- Carter Hermanson, Holy Angels, F
- Aidan Smith, Holy Angels, MF
- Shalim Montes Hernandez, Holy Angels, D
- Noah Hermanson, Holy Angels, D
- Broderick Cook, Orono, F
- Andrew DeWitt, Orono, MF
- Callahan Ehlen, Orono, MF
- Franklin Schwendimann, Orono, MF
