Even in a scoreless tie on the road against Minnetonka - and with a second consecutive Lake Conference championship on the line - Wayzata’s bench remained calm.
“(There wasn’t) too much tension,” Trojans assistant coach Becky Merkey said. “We just felt like we were going to get a goal.”
Junior forward Morgan Turner validated her team’s confidence, notching the game-winner just minutes into the second half to send Wayzata to a 1-0 win over the Skippers on Thursday night.
“She can break through just about any defender,” Merkey said, adding that Turner is a big part of the Trojans’ self-assuredness in close games.
Wayzata has good reason to be full of confidence heading into the postseason.
The Trojans, ranked No. 6 in the Class 2A coaches’ poll, are the champions of a league that has four of its five teams ranked in the Class 2A, including No. 4 Eden Prairie, No. 10 Edina and No. 5 Minnetonka.
Turner said that playing in the ultra-competitive Lake bodes well for her team when it comes to the postseason.
“Really good competition, lots of rivals, so it’s really good to play against them,” Turner said.
Merkey said Wayzata head coach Tony Peszneker has compiled a large amount of statistics in preparation for the Section 6 coaches meeting and the research proves just how tough the Trojans’ schedule has been.
“Eight of our games have been (against) top-10 teams,” Merkey said. “So we get to go into sections already knowing what these types of teams will look like."
Turner said that the competition level combined with several near-misses on scoring chances helped fire up the Trojans in the second half against the Skippers.
“It gets us going,” Turner said. “Because then we know we can get the chances.”
Minnetonka defender Avery Amorosi intercepts a Wayzata pass in a 1-0 loss at home to the Trojans. Photo by Rick Orndorf
First Report
Junior forward Morgan Turner scored the game-winning goal in the opening minutes of the second half to earn Wazyata a 1-0 victory over Minnetonka on Thursday night at the Anderson Stadium Complex at Minnetonka High School.
Turner scored on a well-placed low shot in the penalty box to break a scoreless tie and secure the second straight Lake Conference championship for the Trojans (11-4-1, 6-2-0), ranked No. 6 in the Class 2A coaches’ poll.
For their part, the No. 5-2A Skippers placed just three shots on goal.
Wayzata and Minnetonka now wait for their seedings for the upcoming section tournaments.
