St. Thomas Academy defeated St. Paul Highland Park 1-0 in Class 1A, Section 3 semifinal play to advance to the section final.

The No. 2 seeded Cadets scored when senior captain Devin Kennedy beat Scots goaltender Matthew Xiong on a penalty kick with less than 25 minutes remaining in the second half.

Kennedy was tripped inside Highland Park’s box, which triggered a referee’s whistle. Despite a brief conversation, the Cadets were rewarded the penalty kick. Kennedy fired a screaming low left kick that Xiong had no chance of stopping. The goal was the lone score as Highland Park was shutout.

St. Thomas Academy (14-4) advances to the Class 1A, Section 3 final against No. 4 seed Holy Angels.