There might be pressure as the No. 1 seed, but St. Thomas Academy is embracing it.

The Cadets scored two first-half goals and used another late goal hold off Rochester Lourdes for a 3-1 win in the Class 1A state tournament Wednesday at Benilde-St. Margaret’s High School.

Senior midfielder Grant Dumler opened the scoring for the St. Thomas Academy with a left-footed kick from 25 yards out 17 minutes into the game. Later in the first half, fellow senior Brendan Quinlan scored to give the Cadets (17-3-1) a 2-0 lead.

“A fantastic feeling,” Dumler said. “Great group play all together. All of our hard work is finally paying off.”

After St. Thomas Academy dominated possession in the first half, the Eagles (16-3-2) managed to get on the scoreboard in the second half. Esteban Bedoya chipped the ball just over sprawling Cadets goalie Matthew Wahl to cut it to a 2-1 game.

Lourdes junior Dany Berbari had a few second-half looks but was stopped twice by Wahl.

St. Thomas Academy’s Abraham Haller buried the Cadets’ third goal with just over seven minutes to play. He collected a rebound that Lourdes goalie Noah Morris couldn’t cover it.

The Cadets have now won six consecutive games. They advance to the semifinals next Wednesday in St. Cloud.

“We’ve got to step up,” Dumler said. “We’re the best team in the state. We’ve got to prove it each and every day.”