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Dakota United, Park Center win adapted soccer state titles

Park Center unexpectedly captures its third consecutive CI state championship

For the Minnesota Star Tribune

November 19, 2017 at 2:27AM

Dakota United ‘s Cooper Wilson, right, and Riley Wisniewski cheered after their team won the adapted soccer title in the PI Division. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

In the regular season, Robbinsdale/Hopkins/Mound Westonka and Dakota United each averaged about eight goals per game.

When the two undefeated teams met Saturday in the physically impaired (PI) division state championship in adapted soccer at Stillwater High School, it was a different story.

Dakota United won 2-1 behind a strong performance from sophomore goalie Blake Jackson.

"I knew today would be all defense," coach Lorrie Buecksler said. "[Jackson is] fast, he's quick, he's a rapid thinker on his feet, which is great."

Jackson allowed a first-half goal by Robins eighth-grade forward Marcus Brady, who fired the ball between Jackson's legs. It was the only shot the Hawks goalie let through.

Senior forward Riley Wisniewski of Dakota United (12-0) scored his team's first goal at the end of the first half to tie the game.

Saturday wasn't his first time facing Robbinsdale/Hopkins/Mound Westonka (11-1). The Robins had eliminated the Hawks from the state tournament in each of the past seven seasons.

"I've played against them since I was in seventh or eighth grade and we lost to them. It wasn't fun for me at all. It was fun today to get back at them," Wisniewski said.

After a goal from sophomore forward Cooper Wilson gave the Hawks a 2-1 lead, the Robins pushed forward and peppered the net with shots. None of them got past Jackson, who corralled a final shot as time expired and threw his hands in the air to celebrate the victory.

"[Jackson] felt bad early on when one snuck by him," Buecksler said. "Blake's awesome. Blake is always just on the ball all the time."

CI: Park Center three-peats

Senior winger TeeJon Gilliam blew past the Park Center defense and scored an early goal to give Chaska/Chanhassen/Prior Lake/Shakopee a 1-0 lead. That's when Park Center's Philip Worzie started to worry that his team's chance at winning its third consecutive championship in the cognitively impaired (CI) division would come up short.

"I was scared," Worzie said. "After [TeeJon Gilliam] scored that first goal, I was like, 'Whoa, I'm not sure we can beat them.' "

Worzie responded with six goals to lead Park Center to a 11-4 victory.

The junior center affected the game in different ways, running back on defense to steal the ball, deftly dribbling through defenders and finishing plays with powerful shots.

Junior forward Mohammed Konneh and Jose Guiterrez-Peralta pitched in with two goals apiece for Park Center (12-1-1).

After the team lost its first game of the season by seven goals, coach Kelli Waalk was pleasantly surprised to see her players best the Southern Stars (13-1).

"It's amazing. We had a tough start to the season," Waalk said. "We were just hoping to be a .500 team this year.

"We were hoping to play well enough to get back to the state tournament and never in my wildest dreams did I think we'd be sitting here with first-place medals."