CLASS 3A

One goal, lots of defense make Rosemount a girls' soccer state champ

This was one time Jordan Hecht welcomed a little boredom.

Rosemount's senior goalkeeper has spent a season watching her defensive back line keep the pressure off her. In some games she touched the ball as few as two or three times.

Rosemount took that to an extreme Friday at the girls' soccer state tournament in U.S. Bank Stadium, allowing no shots on goal in a 1-0 victory over Edina that made the Irish the Class 3A champion.

A goal by midfielder Taylor Heimerl in the 16th minute was all the Irish needed. Rosemount posted its 18th shutout of the season; the Irish gave up five goals all season.

Hecht, the first-team keeper on the Star Tribune All-Metro team, admitted that "at times, it got a little bit boring. But when it comes to games like these, I'd rather watch than have to do something. It showed today. We were super solid as a back line."

Rosemount (21-1) seized the lead when Shay Payne controlled the ball along the sideline, stepped around an Edina defender and played a perfect through-ball to Heimerl, who was breaking toward the goal.

"I knew she'd be there. Taylor always makes that run," Payne said. "I maybe saw her out of my peripheral vision."

JIM PAULSEN

CLASS 2A

Holy Angels wins Class 2A girls' soccer title, stopping Mahtomedi's streak

Holy Angels ended top-seeded Mahtomedi's run of consecutive state championships with a 2-1 victory in a shootout Friday in the Class 2A girls' soccer state championship game at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Zephyrs (18-3-0) had won four consecutive titles, the first three in Class 1A.

Briarleigh Dahl scored in the seventh round of penalty kicks to give the second-seeded Stars the 6-5 shootout edge. Her goal came after the Zephyrs' seventh shooter, Faith Peper, hit the crossbar with her shot.

Senior goalkeeper Chloe Sandness scored on a free kick for the Stars (20-2-0) 5 minutes, 56 seconds into the game. She hit the kick from her defensive side of midfield, and it got over Zephyrs goalkeeper Stella Grabow on the bounce.

The Zephyrs' Kaitlyn Moltzan tied the score 1-1 by scoring into an open net with 21:57 left. Mahtomedi's Katelyn Buelke and Sandness had gotten to the ball at the same time, causing it to roll loose.

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JOE GUNTHER

CLASS 1A

Fast starts propel St. Anthony past St. Paul Academy for girls' soccer title

No. 4 seed St. Anthony scored early in each half, defeating No. 3 seed St. Paul Academy 3-2 in the Class 1A girls' soccer state title game Friday evening at U.S. Bank Stadium.

St. Anthony Village scored right away, when senior midfielder Eileen Cardona converted on a penalty kick only 1 minute, 45 seconds into the game. Cardona's kick found the left corner of the net.

The Huskies scored quickly in the second half, too, with a goal from senior defender Anna Abel after a corner kick to make it a two-goal lead 1 minute, 11 seconds into the half. Spartans sophomore Sawyer Bollinger-Danielson cut the deficit to one in the 56th minute, with an assist by freshman Lucia Gonzalez.

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