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Wayzata protects top seed with tricky win over St. Michael-Albertville

The Trojans knew from experience that the Knights are "not an easy team to play against."

By Star Tribune staff

October 26, 2022 at 4:31AM

Joe Highfield (10) of Wayzata headed the ball in the first half during a Class 3A quarterfinal Tuesday. He also scored the Trojans’ first goal. (Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

One top-seeded Wayzata soccer team departed Kuhlman Stadium in Edina on a positive note Tuesday.

Wayzata defeated St. Michael-Albertville 3-0 in the Class 3A quarterfinals, and the Trojans (17-1-2), ranked No. 3 in the final coaches poll, advanced to next Tuesday's semifinals at U.S. Bank Stadium. The game was played just after Wayzata's top-seeded girls' team lost to Mounds View.

The Trojans beat St. Michael-Albertville (9-10-1) in two previous meetings this season, success that brought senior forward Joe Highfield more concern than confidence.

"They are not an easy team to play against," Highfield said. "They played pretty similar to the way they did the first two times. They defended pretty well, and I think they were trying to catch us on the counter-attack."

A goal from Highfield, scored on a penalty kick, fueled the Trojans' 1-0 halftime lead. The goal was No. 18 of the season for Highfield, who is committed to play college soccer at the University of Portland in Oregon.

"We wanted to get the lead early to try and not have to go into a shootout," Highfield said. "So it was a big relief."

The score didn't stay the same long. Less than one minute into the second half, junior Miles Redmond curled a ball from a sharp angle into the Knights' goal. All three of his goals this season have come against the Knights.

St. Michael-Albertville's best chance in the second half hit the crossbar. Not long after, Kieran Mahan put Wayzata ahead 3-0 with about 20 minutes remaining.

Trojans goalkeeper Ethan Kintzle got the shutout.

DAVID La VAQUE

Maple Grove 1, Rochester Mayo 0: Senior forward Chris Frantz scored his 29th goal of the season from a tough angle to the far post in the first half as the second-ranked Crimson (18-1) overcame the eighth-ranked Spartans (16-2) at Farmington.

Class 2A

Hill-Murray 4, Austin 0: The Pioneers lived up to their No. 1 ranking, scoring twice in the first six minutes and taking a victory at Farmington High School.

The two quick goals provided enough offense for a Hill-Murray team (20-0) that has outscored its opponents 88-2 this season. Austin fell to 8-11-2.

Senior forward Jeronimo Laklia opened the scoring four minutes into the game, and junior midfielder Jacob Dinzeo followed with the first of his two goals a couple of minutes later. Senior forward Isaiah Cruz wrapped up the scoring in the second half.

Class 1A

Legacy Christian 1, Rochester Lourdes 0: Sophomore forward Brason Orrey scored the lone goal at 73:41 as the Lions (17-1-1) shut out the seventh-ranked Eagles (13-4-3).