Burnsville girls' soccer talent is 'eclectic,' upbeat

Lindsey Coleman led the Burnsville girls' soccer team with 12 goals last season as a junior.

"I expect her to be back, play well and get some goals," coach John Soderholm said of Coleman, who also plays hockey and lacrosse for the Blaze. "She's always a threat up front because she's so wicked fast. I mean, she can fly."

This year, there's such a talent boom at Burnsville that many players will be challenging for roster spots when tryouts start on Monday.

Burnsville was 13-5 last year, even with its critical injuries, including a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered by scoring sensation Alyssa Blahnik. She is a senior now and has committed to the Gophers.

So the Blaze needed Coleman to step up and produce. She jumped from the 10th-grade team to varsity.

"Truly did a nice job to fill the role," Soderholm said of Coleman, who notched a hat trick against St. Paul Academy early in the season.

Unfortunately, Blahnik recently tore an ACL again. Soderholm has ruled her out for the season and was unsure if the Gophers would honor their commitment to her. The dynamic player will be missed, but the Blaze still will have an "eclectic group," Soderholm said.

Talented sophomores. The Burnsville Fire club team, made up of sophomores, won a MYSA state championship last week.

Lauren Lefebvre saw varsity time as a freshman last year and she shined as a playmaker, setting up numerous goals.

The big scorer of the sophomore class is Ashley St. Aubin. She was a scoring machine on the Burnsville Fire, and is a player to watch this fall.

With the lack of scoring depth due to injuries last year, Abby Soderholm, the coach's niece, was usually double- and triple-teamed. With the influx of talent on this year's roster, the center midfielder should have more freedom to create plays.

Even with opposing defenses honing in on her, Soderholm still led the team in points with four goals and 15 assists. She will be a senior and one of the captains this year.

The other Blaze captains are seniors Hannah Keirstead and Amanda Hartmann. Junior Darby Lofthus returns at goalkeeper. She's been on the varsity since ninth grade.

"She'll be very good for us this year," John Soderholm said of Lofthus. "She's gotten bigger and stronger and faster."

The South Suburban Conference is full of promising teams, including defending Class 2A state champion Lakeville North. Eastview, Prior Lake and Eagan have typically strong programs as well.

The Blaze will kick off the season with a nonconference game at Centennial at 7 p.m. on Aug. 22.

"We should be decent this year," John Soderholm said. "I expect us to win a game or two."