Eagan Wildcats Boys' Soccer Final Week and Section Preview

Eagan Breathes Sigh of Relief with Final Buzzer, Win!

On the field and on paper, the Apple Valley Eagles boys soccer team has been one of the most dominant teams in the state of Minnesota all season. As of the start of the last week of the regular season they had not yet lost a game. In the coaches’ poll and the computer rankings they were right at the top. They have found ways to win or tie the tough games as well as those they have not been on their “A” game. All attributes are documented hallmarks of a great team. The Eagan High School Wildcats boys soccer team has, by most standards, had a respectable season themselves. They have hung around the top ten in the coaches’ poll and the computer rankings all season. They have been near the top of the conference standings. But, against the toughest opponents they had yet to garner a victory, instead coming away with a loss or a tie every time. The players from both teams knew better than anyone that neither team was going to back down from the challenge this game represented as they know each other very well. In fact, a number of the seniors on Valley and many of the seniors from Eagan play together on a team in the summer. A number of the Eagle juniors and Wildcat juniors play on a different team together in the summer as well. The mix of emotion and knowledge of each other and each other’s game only added to the intrigue for the onlookers. Accordingly, fans packed the Johnny Cake Stadium expecting to see a very good match-up and they were not disappointed.

As the first half began, both teams seemed content to feel each other out and not give up many scoring chances. Valley had the better of the territorial and physical play for a majority of the half, but on the Eagles’ one scoring opportunity Eagan’s junior keeper Brady Martin was able to make a close in, point-blank, very difficult save denying Valley the lead. Eagan, for their part, forced the Eagle keeper to make two saves, but had a tough time getting the ball past the Valley defenders who deflected away three shots. The overall shots at the goal were virtually even at six for Valley and seven for the Cats as the teams settled for a 0-0 tie going to the half.

The second half started out in similar fashion. The Eagles controlled much of the play and took the first few shots before Eagan started to come to life as they were able to get a handful of shots themselves. In the 58th minute, Mitchell Dawson, one of Valley’s senior captains, received a ball from fellow midfielder Kevin Conway. As he cut across the top of the penalty area from the right side he took on not one, not two, but three Eagan defenders and then powered through Martin as the ball bounced back on his feet all alone on the goal line as he easily tapped the ball in to put the Eagles up 1-0.  Instead of the goal deflating Eagan, it lit a fire under the players. In the 69th minute, Kyle Stefani, who had entered the game just two minutes earlier, was able to beat the Valley defender down the left side. He sent a screamer on the ground to the far post beating the Eagle keeper only to have it rattle off the post. The Eagan player waiting to pounce at the post was unable to control the ball effectively as the ball bounced off of him into the Valley keeper’s hands. As fate would have it, it was not the night for Stefani to be denied. Just three minutes later Wyatt Wagner checked back into the midfield to collect a pass, as he was able to turn and dribble forward, he found Juan Sjoberg challenging the Eagle outside back and played a ball through the channel.  Sjoberg got to the ball first and punched it toward the middle of the penalty area. As the ball found it’s way through to the back post, Stefani was in position to drive it home to even the game at one-a-piece. With just eight minutes left it quickly became apparent that Eagan was not interested in waiting for overtime as they continued to press Valley. In the 77th minute they were rewarded with a corner kick. On the first try, the second try, and the third try, the Eagle defenders and keeper could only play the ball out of bounds across their own end line to prevent a Wildcat scoring opportunity. On the fourth try they watched helplessly as Kyle Mayne’s corner kick found Ryan Mott who put the ball away for an Eagan 2-1 lead.

Valley was not willing to go away quietly as they found the energy to get the ball in the Cats end and keep it there for the final minutes forcing Martin to make a save and getting a corner kick of their own. But, with the Eagle’s final opportunity missing the net, Eagan sent a long goal kick out to midfield as the final seconds ticked away. A collective sigh of relief was released by all of the Eagan faithful in attendance and Eagan finally showed they can win a game against one of the state’s best teams. It was a great overall performance defensively and offensively for Eagan with everyone contributing solid minutes. It is a performance that they will need to duplicate every time they step on the field with their last regular season game Thursday night and into the section play next week.

Eagan will play in the quarterfinals Tuesday, Oct. 9.  The second round will be Thursday, Oct. 11 with the finals on Tuesday, October 16. Come out and cheer on your Eagan Wildcats!

Season Finale Sails Away in the Wind, Eagan Prepares for Playoffs

After a hard-fought, emotional win against intra-district rival Apple Valley Tuesday night, the Eagan High School Wildcats boys soccer team had to recover quickly and regain focus to close out their regular season schedule against conference foe Burnsville on Thursday, Oct. 4. For the Cats the top of the conference was so unsettled that any one of the top four teams still had an opportunity to finish anywhere between number one and number four depending on Thursday night’s results. Burnsville was pretty solidly entrenched at number five in the conference, but wanted to prove they could play with the teams at the top of the conference. With cold blustery conditions, both teams found it difficult to generate much energy or much offense.

The first half was fairly uneventful. Eagan managed just two shots on net while Burnsville only garnered three for themselves. Senior keeper Keith Krawza was able to keep all of Burnsville’s opportunities out of the goal. The Cats two shots also failed to get past the Burnsville keeper. The Blaze did throw five more shots at the net, but none reached the target. Eagan had one other shot that also missed the net. That left the teams knotted at zero as they went to the half.

The second half was more of the same. Both teams generated slightly more shots and offensive opportunities, but struggled to get the ball past the keepers on both ends of the field. Eagan’s best opportunity came with about ten minutes left when Juan Sjoberg played a little flick ball over the Blaze defenders. Wyatt Wagner was able to drill a shot out of the air from short range, but the Burnsville keeper was in position as the ball ricocheted off his hands out of bounds. The Blaze kept pushing to generate chances for themselves and with just three minutes left they sent a long ball from the left side into the wind.  The swirling wind held the ball up and pushed it toward the back corner of the net. As Krawza watched helplessly the ball hit at the high corner of the post and the crossbar and fell into the net giving Burnsville a 1-0 lead that Eagan did not have enough time to recover from.

The loss left Eagan as the #4 team in the conference standings behind Eastview, Jefferson, and Apple Valley respectively with a final record of 6-2-1. Sunday, Oct. 7, the coaches from section 3 met to determine seedings for what will surely be a very difficult sectional playoff run. Eagan will play in the quarterfinals Tuesday, Oct. 9 against Burnsville at Wildcat Stadium at 7 p.m. The second round will be Thursday, Oct. 11 with the finals on Tuesday, October 16. Come out and cheer on your Eagan Wildcats!