Spartan Boys’ Soccer State Championship Story
State Championship Round vs Pine Island/Zumbrota-Mazeppa
On Friday, 11/3 the SPA boys’ soccer team clinched the Class A State Soccer Championship with a 3-2 win over the Wildcats of Pine Island/Zumbrota-Mazeppa. This win marks back-to-back State Champion titles and the SIXTH in program history!
Pine Island got on the board first at the 20-minute mark. The Spartan boys had to learn how to earn a come-from-behind victory, a position they hadn’t experienced in the past five State games across their two most recent tournament appearances.
SPA was up for the challenge and answered back in the second half with a goal in the 48th minute by junior, Liam Sullivan. The crowd was still celebrating when Senior Captain, Orion Kim was awarded a penalty kick. Kim beat the Wildcats’ goalkeeper with a booming kick to the top left post in the last game of his playing career. He spoke about this moment after the game and said, “It was just so special for me to do it with this community and this team. It was just amazing”.
Junior Ezra Straub solidified the victory for the Spartans with a goal of his own to go up 3-1. After the game, Straub reflected on his mentality saying, “If we shut off like that, they could score two, and that would be a heartbreaker. We went up 3-1, we still played hard defense, didn’t give up. I think that was the most important thing.”
The Spartan defense and their relentless mentality was a highlight all season. One of the main leaders of that defensive back was senior goalkeeper and captain, Cooper Olson. Olson was also awarded the highest recognition as this year’s Class A Mr. Soccer recipient.
In the history of the program, SPA Boys’ Soccer has played in 19 State Tournaments, finished as State Runner-Ups five times, and earned five Championship titles. Many of those teams were headed by our now Assistant Coach, Buzz Lagos (including the back-to-back champs in 1986 and 1987).
The 2023 State tournament was perhaps the most exciting in the history of the program because they got to experience it in partnership with the girls’ team. It was truly unforgettable season for the community and we couldn’t be more proud to be a Spartan!
MSHSL All-Tournament Team: Orion Kim ‘24, Cooper Olson ‘24, Awaale Osman ‘24 and Ezra Straub ‘25
Mr. Soccer Class A: Cooper Olson ‘24
All-State: Orion Kim ‘24, Cooper Olson ‘24, Awaale Osman ‘24 and Ezra Straub ‘25
All-Conference: Orion Kim ‘24, Cooper Olson ‘24, Awaale Osman ‘24, Ezra Straub ‘25 and Arlo Zirps ‘25
All-Conference Honorable Mention: Carson Granberg ‘25 and Lucas Granja ‘25
