Spartan Girls’ AND Boys’ Soccer Head To State
Wednesday, October 18 was a day for the Spartan history books as both the SPA girls’ and boys’ soccer teams were crowned Section 3A champions for the second year in a row, sending both teams to the Class A State Soccer Tournament. In a doubleheader played at St. Thomas Academy on Wednesday night, the #3-seeded girls’ beat #1-seed Minnehaha Academy 3-2 with goals from Clare Ryan Bradley ’26, Elizabeth Tuttle ’26, and a Minnehaha own goal. The girls’ victory was followed by the #2-seeded boys’ team beating #4 seed Minnehaha 2-0, with goals from Ezra Straub ’25 and Orion Kim ’24.
The double-section championships cap off another extraordinary season for both teams. The girls capped off their 6-6-4 regular season with the #3 seed in Section 3A. They marched through section competition, defeating Trinity School at River Ridge 2-0 in the quarterfinals and an upset victory over Visitation 2-0 in the semifinals, setting up the double IMAC Conference showdown against Minnehaha Academy. The Spartans began the game strong scoring initially off a Minnehaha error, they then stretched their lead with a goal from Ryan Bradley ’26 to go up 2-1 at the half. In the second half, Minnehaha would tie it up 2-2, and late in the second half SPA would get the game-winner and a return ticket to state with a goal from Tuttle ’26. This is the girls’ second straight appearance at State and the team’s 8th State tournament appearance overall.
The boys capped off their regular season with an 8-4-3 record and a #2 seed in Section 3A. In section play, the Spartans defeated St. Croix Lutheran Academy 2-0 in the quarterfinals and St. Agnes 3-0 in the semifinals, setting up an IMAC conference showdown against rival Minnehaha in the Section Championship game. The Spartans began the game strong with a quick goal from Straub ’25 in the opening minutes of the match and added another goal late in the second half from Kim ’24 to punch another ticket to state. This is the team’s 19th appearance at State and the second year in a row the boys’ team has advanced to the State tournament.
Additionally, earlier this week, All-State award winners were announced. Our All-State honorees are University of Minnesota commit Sawyer Bollinger Danielson ’25, Annie Zhang ‘25, Orion Kim ‘24, Cooper Olson ‘24, Awaale Osman ‘24, and Ezra Straub ‘25. Both the girls’ and boys’ Class A MSHSL State Soccer Tournaments will begin the week of October 23; seeding will be decided on October 20. Congratulations to both teams and go Spartans!
