Unseeded Dover-Eyota grabbed the momentum with two goals from senior Ashlee Olson in the span of about a minute and a half that pushed the Eagles toward a 4-1 upset of No. 2 seed St. Paul Academy in the Class 1A girls' soccer tournament Tuesday.
"Whenever we score, we always get a newfound confidence and determination to keep going," Olson said. "So I really think that helped the team."
The Eagles, seeking their first girls' soccer state title, pulled off the quarterfinal victory on a wet and soggy field at Farmington High School.
St. Paul Academy (15-3-3) scored first with a rebound goal by senior Lauren Hansen in the 14th minute of the game. But it was all Dover-Eyota (17-3) after that. Sophomore Madison Tuma tied the score in the 36th minute right before halftime before the Eagles scored a trio of second-half goals.
Olson's first goal sailed high into the back of the net in the 13th minute of the second half. Less than two minutes later, she scored goal No. 2, which took a little extra work near the net.
"I kicked it, and it hit off the goalie's chest, and then it hit off her hands," Olson said. "And then I kicked it in."
Once the Eagles got that pair of goals to go up 3-1, it boosted their confidence, Olson said.
"She has an awesome shot from outside, and then she's finishing balls from two yards," coach Brad Hak said. "And that's what you need."
