Hill-Murray, barely, and DeLaSalle, comfortably, reach Class 2A boys' soccer final

Jacob Dinzeo is only human. When his potentially game-tying penalty kick got stopped late in regulation of a Class 2A boys' soccer semifinal Tuesday at U.S. Bank Stadium, the Hill-Murray junior forward felt his heart drop.

He feared the Pioneers' undefeated season would likewise plunge. So he did what captains must do. He remained stoic.

"I knew that if I was the one to show defeat, the team's spirit would drop as well," Dinzeo said.

Instead of folding against upset-minded Richfield, Hill-Murray forced overtime on a goal by Taylor Petrich with 29 seconds to play in regulation and later won 4-3 in a penalty kick shootout.

Hill-Murray (21-0) edged the No. 5 seed Spartans (11-5-4), who were making their first state tournament appearance since winning the 1975 championship.

Ronan O'Connor scored twice, including the final penalty kick goal.

Hill-Murray entered the game having allowed just two goals all season and having trailed in a game only once. Richfield led 3-1 at halftime, getting two goals from Luis Sanchez.

The Pioneers, meanwhile, were determined to fight back.

"We hadn't been truly challenged by a team and put in a hard situation," said Dinzeo, a Star Tribune All-Metro first-team selection. "I couldn't be more proud of the boys and how they responded today."

DeLaSalle 4, Cloquet-Esko-Carlton 0: Islanders senior Keokolo Sena felt the heat long before he took his penalty kick opportunity in the first half.

Sunshine and unseasonably warm temperatures outside made U.S. Bank Stadium feel like something of a greenhouse to Sena.

"From the second I walked in the field today, the first thing I noticed was how hot it was," he said.

"It gave us some space," said Sena, a captain. "We were able to just kind of calm down and really relax into our game."

The No. 2 seed Islanders (14-5-1) will face Hill-Murray for the title on Friday. DeLaSalle finished second in the 2014 state tournament. The Pioneers were second in 1983 and 2013.

No. 3 seed Cloquet-Esko-Carlton never mounted much of a scoring chance in the first half. Coach John Sundquist said his team tried different formations in the second half, but nothing cracked the DeLaSalle goal.

Instead, the Islanders padded their lead with two goals after halftime.

For Wednesday's girls' semifinal schedule tap here