The future is now for Breck.
A year after graduating 14 seniors and suffering through the sting of its third straight defeat in a section final, this group of Mustangs has bridged the gap back to state for the first time since 2008 with a roster fueled by juniors and underclassmen.
Breck rode two second-half goals to the Class 1A, Section 5 championship Friday night as the Mustangs blanked Totino-Grace 2-0 at St. Louis Park High School. With the victory, the program took a big step forward collectively.
"For the past three years, the section finals has always been a struggle," Breck junior captain Garrett Opperman says. "To finally get that section title is rewarding, but it's even sweeter knowing how we did it. We lost 14 seniors from a year ago, and talk was that this would be a rebuilding year. I think what we were able to accomplish this year has shown a lot of heart from everyone involved."
Mustangs coach George Stuempfig admits the team felt like 2014 was its year. But to turn fortunes around now has been encouraging, if not surprising.
"When we started out, I told the group that the goals and expectations are still the same, we can't have any other approach," he said. "To (achieve) it, I can't say enough good things about this group."
Breck broke a stalemate 55 seconds into the second half when the Mustangs capitalized on a breakdown in front of the Eagles' net. In a brief moment of chaos, Breck junior forward Avi Eller put a shot on goal that bounced off both sides of the frame before rolling across the goal line and staking the Mustangs with the lead.
The score drove a wedge, and after withstanding a storm of everything Totino-Grace could throw at it in a frenzied few minutes of trying to level things again, Breck scored on the leg of Opperman with 9:12 to play to effectively end the Eagles' hopes.
"One of our points of emphasis before the game was to contain No. 10 (Opperman) and No. 11 (Eller)," Totino-Grace coach William Vance said. "Well, No. 10 and No. 11 both scored. They are both excellent players who can play well off each other."
The Eagles outshot Breck 8-6 for the match and held an edge in possession, but the pressure never proved insurmountable for the Mustangs.
"I don't think we had enough dangerous shots on goal, and the longer you go in the playoffs, it seems the more that first goal matters," Vance said.
Totino-Grace was committed - at times - to applying a press, but that created opportunities for Breck to counter. And with the speed the Mustangs employ, that's not always a prudent tradeoff for the Eagles, who pulled it off and then on and then off, at times.
When it broke down, Breck was eager to exploit those cracks in the armor.
"We're a big counter team, that's what we do," Eller says. "A lot of times, the other team is possessing the ball (more than us), but we find our chances to create something and score."
The counter attack wasn't the only thing feeding the Mustangs' big strike opportunities as through balls stretched the field vertically for Breck.
"We can pass and possess the ball, too. But with Avi Eller around, we like to move the ball up," Opperman said. "When we put him (in motion) on goal, nine times out of 10, he will beat the last defender. He's a speedy guy."
Totino-Grace tried to move the ball on flanks along the touchlines to try to keep the ball away from Eller and Opperman, and it worked to varying effect at times. Just not consistently enough to turn the tide while trailing.
The Eagles entered Friday's game riding a seven-game winning streak while outscoring their three opponents by a combined 18-0. Totino-Grace finished its season one step short of state for the second straight year.
"Hats off to Breck," Vance said. "Tonight they were efficient, effective and super dangerous."
The Mustangs qualified for the state tournament for the first time since 2008 and the fifth time in school history. Breck has one state title, which came in 2005 in Class 1A. Last year, Breck advanced to the Section 6 final before falling to Chaska 2-1.
"Our energy is high right now, and we're looking to carry that into the Tourney's first game," Opperman says. "You can't look too far ahead now."
