Mankato West surprised no one by earning a spot in the state Class 1A soccer tournament. 

The Scarlets have been dominant leading up to the championship, posting a 15-1 regular-season record and outscoring their opponents 10-1 in three section games.

While the gaudy regular-season and section playoff numbers seemed to have Mankato West destined for a deep postseason run, the Scarlets’ one loss may be the most important factor in determining how far the team can advance in the tournament.

Northfield defeated Mankato West on Sept. 2 by scoring the game's only goal in overtime, and the loss helped the Scarlets find a new perspective on facing the challenges of competiting against the top teams in Class 1A. 

“After that first loss, we took a step back and we regrouped,” sophomore attacker Jacob Makela said. “We (realized) that we just need to take everything one step at a time.”

Makela and his teammates didn't trip while taking their first step at the state tournament, winning a quarterfinal game against Monticello 4-0 Wednesday night at Osseo High School.

Senior midfielder Matthew Ouren scored a hat trick in the first 20 minutes of the game, staking the Scarlets to a 3-0 lead.

“We talked about it, game in and game out, that we need to score first,” Mankato West coach Leonard Woelfel said.

“And then we need to continue to score,” he added.

Ouren, who is usually a distributor and assist man, scored his first two goals on supreme individual efforts. His third came off a beautiful assist by Makela, who threaded the ball through a Monticello defender to find Ouren for the goal.

The pressure of being a senior on a state tournament team is not lost on Ouren, but he’s quick to point out that this season is not necessarily do or die.

“I know there’s more to life than soccer,” Ouren said. “Obviously, I want to make (this season) last as long as possible, but when it’s over, it’s over and we’ll move on.”

The Scarlets’ season isn’t over yet, and Woelfel credited the effort by Ouren, who is a team captain, for helping Mankato West move on to the state tournament semifinals.

“(Ouren) took it upon himself to put those goals in the back of the net,” Woelfel said. “He’s a great kid, and a great leader.”

Matthew Ouren scored a hat trick in the game’s first 20 minutes as third-seeded Mankato West eliminated Monticello from the state tournament with a 4-0 victory in the Class 1A quarterfinals Wednesday night at Osseo High School.

Jake Makela had a goal and an assist for the Scarlets (19-1-0). 

Ouren’s first goal was a supreme effort, as senior midfielder dribbled through traffic and drilled a shot past Monticello junior goalkeeper Evan Bartlett to give West a 1-0 lead 7 minutes, 13 seconds into the game.

Makela scored six minutes into the second half. The sophomore attacker guided the ball through traffic and sent a rocket shot into the upper right corner of the net, increasing the Scarlets’ lead to 4-0.

Mankato West plays second-seeded St. Cloud Apollo at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 29 in the semifinals at Husky Stadium in St. Cloud.

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