Benilde-St. Margaret's coach Scott Helling-Christy (center) and his team eye a third straight Class 1A state title. The Red Knights get a playoff primer Tuesday against a tough foe in Hill-Murray. Photo by Rick Orndorf, SportsEngine
Just once has a Minnesota high school school girls' soccer program won three consecutive state championships, and Benilde-St. Margaret's has a shot at tying that feat this season.
If successful, the Red Knights will join Mahtomedi, which won Class 1A titles in 2004, 2005 and 2006, in rarified air.
It's a position the reigning two-time defending Class 1A champion has been in before. Benilde-St. Margaret’s won back-to-back state titles in 2012 and 2013 but failed to advance to the state tournament in 2014.
East metro power Hill-Murray may be one team that could stand in the way of Benilde-St. Margaret’s. The Pioneers defeated the Red Knights 2-0 in the regular season a year ago, but Benilde-St. Margaret’s got past Hill-Murray 3-2 in the Class 1A state semifinals en route to its second straight title.
The loss could provide motivation for a young but talented Pioneers squad looking to push past its recent run of state semifinal losses, and a win Tuesday could be confidence-booster.
This collision between state contenders is our pick for Top Game of the Week.
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