St. Anthony's girls' soccer team made its state tournament debut last year with a quarterfinal exit.
"We needed our redemption this year," said senior Sierra Halverson.
Redemption complete. The No. 4 seed Huskies defeated third seed St. Paul Academy 3-2 to win the Class 1A state title Friday evening at U.S. Bank Stadium.
St. Anthony got on the board only 1 minute, 45 seconds into the game when senior midfielder Eileen Cardona converted on a penalty kick. The Huskies also extended the lead to 2-0 only 1 minute, 11 seconds into the second half on a goal from Anna Abel. Meghan Pryzbilla later made it 3-1.
The Huskies (14-3-1) won their first state title and finished the season with nine straight wins, outscoring opponents 48-9 in that stretch.
"We're basically the same team we were last year," Halverson said. "But the way we've improved, the way we've gotten closer all together is kind of crazy."
They knew they were in for a battle in the title game, said Huskies coach Paul Pawlyshyn.
"We just seemed to always find a way to respond," Pawlyshyn said.
