The magic word for soccer coaches: nil.
Three weeks into the season, 10 high school soccer teams in Minnesota have yet to yield a goal.
Two are boys teams, both in Class 1A: St. Charles/Lewiston-Altura (5-0-1) and St. Cloud Cathedral (4-0).
On the girls side, eight programs are still pitching shutouts. They are Blaine (5-0), Lakeville South (4-0), Minnetonka (5-0) and Spring Lake Park (5-0-1) in Class 3A; Alexandria (4-0-1), St. Francis (1-0-3) and St. Peter (5-0) in Class 2A, and Albany (5-0) in Class 1A. St. Francis has played three scoreless draws.
Did they pile up those shutouts against weak competition? Here are the top five teams from the group based on their opposition's winning percentage:
1. St. Francis girls (10-6-5, .595)
2. Blaine girls (14-11-4, .552)
3. Alexandria girls (12-15-4, .452)
