Strong to the finish for Minnetonka boys' soccer

By the time this reaches Star Tribune newspaper readers, the Minnetonka boys' soccer season could be over. Or, perhaps more likely, the Skippers could be celebrating a Class 2A quarterfinals victory over Anoka.

In this case, the tight scheduling of the boys' soccer state tournament and the rigidity of newspaper deadlines simply failed to mesh.

No matter Tuesday's result, the story of the 2014 Skippers is one of self-awareness with a vision for the future. Of knowing where they've been, what they've done and what they're capable of doing.

"We have so much talent, and so many good players that we feel like we can always be better," junior forward Suad Suljic said. "We're never satisfied."

Suljic is perhaps the metro's most naturally talented forward. He's electric with the ball at his feet and dishes nearly as well as he scores, which is often. A native of Bosnia, he emigrated with his family to the United States when he was 3. Like his father, who had professional aspirations before the Bosnian War interfered, Suljic has the innate soccer instincts that come from a lifetime of living, and loving, the sport.

But where most teams have just one player like him, the Skippers' strength is that they have many.

"Suad is such a positive force for this team, but you know, he's just one part of it," coach Mike Rogers said. "We have so many other talented players who have come together to make one beautiful team."

"These guys all play [club] soccer at the highest levels in the state," Rogers said. "The high school season is a short offseason for them. They come in ready to play."

But the pitch is littered with failed teams long on talent and short on togetherness. For Minnetonka, the past 15 years have been filled with disappointment as team after team has suffered under an onslaught of injuries and tough conference opponents. The program won just five games combined in 2010 and 2011.

That explains why members of this group of immensely gifted players always felt as if there was more to prove, no matter how well they played.

They won their first 12 games and were ranked No. 1 in Class 2A for a majority of the season. Not enough.

"We still felt like we could get better," Melin said.

"We didn't play well," Suljic said. "It was a wake-up call for us. I'm glad we had those."

A season-ending victory over Wayzata earned them the Lake Conference title. Belief in their talents started to creep in.

"I think that was the first indication," Melin said. "It's been, like, nine years since Minnetonka has won the Lake. That really showed that we might have something."

But it wasn't until a 3-1 victory over Edina in the Section 2 of the Class 2A semifinals that they were finally convinced this season was special.

"That's when I really felt that we were playing as good as we can play," said Suljic, who leads the team with 19 goals and 13 assists. "I think we came together as a team."

"There's no greater feeling than winning together," said Suljic, who was still in Bosnia when the Skippers made their last state tournament appearance. "Everyone's committed. Nobody's separate. We're a family."

Jim Paulsen • 612-673-7737