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Eagan Finally Breaks Loose Offensively While Maintaining Defensive Discipline

Soccer, like life, is all about how you respond to the disappointments and the successes you experience. After a hugely disappointing loss to Owatonna on Saturday, Sept. 8, the Eagan Wildcats Boys Soccer Team had an opportunity to show exactly what kind of character they had as a team. Would they fold under the pressure of a tough four game stretch against Eden Prairie (OT loss), Eastview (OT tie), Lakeville North (2-1 win), and Owatonna (1-2 loss), or would they rise to the occasion and show their mettle? If the team’s response against Prior Lake Tuesday, Sept. 11 is any indication, the Cats are not ready to slink away quietly.

Things did not exactly start out smoothly. Just eight minutes into the game a Prior Lake midfielder got the ball deep down in Eagan territory and after beating two Cat defenders as he moved toward the goal, a third defender and the Wildcat keeper were unable to respond in time as the Laker player buried the ball top shelf on the near post. With Eagan’s early season offensive struggles there was a collective sense of “Here we go again.” But, undaunted, just two minutes later, Kyle Mayne sent a long crossing ball from 40 yards out that found the Prior Lake keeper back pedaling and jumping backward as the ball tipped off his fingertips to a waiting Juan Sjoberg for an easy goal to even the game.  With a strong wind at their back and Eagan in clear control of the action, Coach Merrick opted to clear the bench inserting fresh players on the field.  The strategy paid off as in the 31st minute Kyle Mayne sent another similar to the first goal long crossing ball into the top of the penalty area that Abdi Ali was able to hold long enough to lay off to a streaking Kyle Stefani who rifled a shot past the Laker keeper to move Eagan up 2-1. In the 35th minute, Chad Miller lined up to take an in-swinging, right-footed corner kick from the left corner. He placed the ball perfectly over the players at the near post and with a little help from the prevailing wind he caught the keeper off guard as the ball sailed into the net for an unassisted goal to put Eagan up 3-1 going to the half. The Cats had 14 shots in the first half with six of them on net including the three that went in, while Prior Lake managed five forcing Keith Krawza to make four saves.

The majority of the same players that finished the first half stayed on start the second half. Playing into the wind they held serve as neither team generated many scoring opportunities.  In the 57th minute, Brady Martin replaced Krawza in goal to see how he would respond to entering a game with little preparation.  Krawza had made one save to that point of the half with two other Laker shots missing their mark and two more being knocked away by Eagan defenders.  Martin was forced to make two more saves after entering the game with Prior Lake only sending one other shot off the net for the half as the strong play by the Cats back four (Ryan Larson, Carter Johns, Kyle Mayne, Ed Olson, Kevin Clough) plus one holding midfielder (Jake Punch, Chad Miller) continues to be a strong point of the team effort. The starters reentered in the 64th minute and with fresh legs showed they wanted more.  In the 70th minute, a long ball played to the right side found the head of Ryan Mott who played it over the Laker keeper to a waiting Wyatt Wagner who put Eagan up 4-1. And, in the 77th minute, Mott played a chip to Sjoberg who finished the scoring as the Cats went up 5-1. Eagan managed 15 shots playing into the wind with seven hitting their intended target.  It was a great team effort and a strong response to the frustration they experienced the previous Saturday in Owatonna. They are a team out to prove the pollsters were wrong in dropping them out of the top 10 rankings.

Next week Eagan will go to Jefferson Tuesday, Sept. 18th for a 4:45 pm start before returning home Thursday, Sept. 20th, for a match-up with Lakeville South at 7:00 pm. Saturday, Sept. 22nd the Cats will face Sibley in another non-conference matinee at 1:00 pm in their Homecoming Kick-Off Game with Coronation Court later that evening. John Curlee State Farm Insurance will host the Varsity Half-Time Contest and will have many free give-a-ways during some tailgating activities. Come out and cheer on your Eagan Wildcats Boys’ Soccer Team.          

Eagan Stays on a Roll, Captures Early Lead in South Suburban Conference

What a difference a couple days can make. With inter-district and conference rival Apple Valley off to a 7-0 start and a number one ranking in the polls to start the week, Eagan players were wondering if their preseason hopes were perhaps more lofty than they could live up to. They had responded well Tuesday, Sept. 11 at Prior Lake, winning 5-1 after a huge disappointment the previous Saturday in Owatonna where they lost 1-2. But, they were still questioning a little bit whether they had what it will take to go deep into the playoffs at the end of the season. If a Valley tie with Burnsville that same Tuesday the Cats were winning in Prior Lake opened the door of possibility at least a crack, it was kicked down Thursday, Sept. 13 in Eagan as the Wildcats took on the Rosemount Irish. While Jefferson was visiting Burnsville and walking away with a 3-1 win, and as Apple Valley stepped across the street to tie Eastview in the Lightning stadium, the Cats, with a 3-0 win at home, vaulted themselves into sole possession of first place in the South Suburban Conference. Eagan’s focus will have to increase with everyone now trying to knock them off as they play out the remainder of the conference schedule.  

For their part, Eagan took control early against Rosemount and didn’t relent as the first half minutes ticked away. The Cats moved the ball around and kept it in the Irish end almost exclusively the whole first half. The Wildcats produced 14 shots getting six of them on the net while Rosemount only took three shots with Brady Martin saving the only one directed at the goal. It took a while to produce a result, but in the 24th minute Wyatt Wagner got out wide on the left side in some free space. Wagner sent a long crossing ball through the penalty area where Ryan Mott was perfectly positioned to send a header past the helpless Irish keeper to put Eagan up 1-0.  In the 38th minute, Wagner again got out wide all alone, this time on the right side, and sent the ball far post out of the keepers reach where Toby Heller was in perfect position to get the ball on his foot and drill it into the back of the net for 2-0 Eagan lead that carried into half time.

To start the second half Coach Merrick sat down just about everyone who played the first half, opting to get fresh legs on the field. Rosemount noting the change, started to apply more pressure forcing Martin to make four saves for the half to keep the Irish off the board and earn the shutout. Eagan’s back four (Ed Olson, Ryan Larson, Kyle Mayne, Kevin Clough) plus one defensive mid (Chad Miller), spent much of the half turning back Rosemount attacks while also knocking down four shot attempts as the Irish took nine shots for the half.  Eagan struggled to create offensive opportunities with only two of their five shots hitting the net.  Then when Jake Punch reentered the game in the attacking mid with just four minutes left he was able to get a shot on net. With the ball staying in the Rosemount end Eagan was able to earn a corner kick in the 79th minute. Kyle Mayne moved to the right corner to use his left foot to deliver a ball that found Abdi Ali who put the ball away to finish the game 3-0 in Eagan’s favor. 

Lackluster Performance, But a Win

The difference between good teams and great teams is often the ability to win games when they do not perform at their peak. The Eagan High School Wildcats Boys Soccer Team has now had two lackluster performances on consecutive Saturdays. Last Saturday, Sept. 8, the Cats were not able to pull off a win when performing at less than peak level. That happens to good teams all of the time.  This Saturday, September 15 at Wildcat Stadium against Cretin-Derham Hall the team, arguably, did not look much better than the previous Saturday, but this time they were able to win the game. That is an attribute they will need to carry through the rest of the season if they want to be considered great and not just good. 

The game started with a definite bang for Eagan. Off the opening kick-off, Cretin played the ball back and to and outside midfielder. As the Raider player turned to pass back to one of his defenders, Wyatt Wagner stepped in between them, intercepted the pass, and made a strong run into the penalty area. The Cretin keeper, left alone to face a breakaway or a potential two-on-one, charged toward Wagner on the right side of the penalty area.  As he dove for the ball, he instead took Wagner down hard giving the referee no alternative but to call a penalty kick. Wagner calmly approached the ball and placed his PK shot into the back of the net as the helpless Raider keeper guessed wrong, giving Eagan a 1-0 lead just 12 seconds into the game. Cretin controlled much of the play after the subsequent kick-off until the 21 minute when Wagner, appearing free down the right side, was tugged hard on the bottom of his jersey by the Cretin defender giving chase. Kyle Mayne lined up to deliver a free kick from about 35 yards out from the end line, near the right sideline, where he sent a ball near the penalty mark that a charging Ryan Mott was able to get to first as he headed the ball past the Raider keeper to put the Cats up 2-0. Other than the two goals, Eagan only managed three more shots for the half with only one hitting the net. Although Cretin controlled much of the midfield play they were only able get two shots for the half. Eagan keeper Keith Krawza only had to make one save with Cretin’s other shot being knocked away by the Eagan defense.

The second half was even more non-descript than the first. The Wildcats got off six shots, but the Raiders’ keeper was able to save the four on net. Cretin managed five shots with Krawza saving three. The highlight of the half was a high, leaping, extension save to Krawza’s left post that was labeled top corner.  Krawza just got his fingertips on the ball and pulled it down with him as he landed stretched out on his side. The Cats overall team defensive effort was strong in keeping the ball away from the penalty area. Ryan Larson, in particular, cleared a number of balls off his feet and off his head to help hold Cretin at bay. Eagan will have another tough week ahead with practices on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and games on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday for the third week in a row.  They will need to be prepared to give their best effort mentally and physically every day if they want to be talked about as a great team as the season wears on.