After comfortably winning the Wright County Conference title last season, Orono (4-2-1, 0-1-0) is in a bit of a hole after losing its first conference game 2-0 to Waconia on Sept. 11. Luckily for the Spartans, there is time to recover with the bulk of conference contests — two per week until the end of the season — still on the horizon.
Orono is on a winning streak against Delano that stretches back to 2011, and the current iteration of Spartans will be eager to keep that streak alive against their conference and Class 1A, Section 6 rival. Liam LaBelle (7 goals, 2 assists) has been the main offensive force for No. 8-1A Orono, and he’ll need to be at his best against a solid Tigers defense.
Delano (5-2, 1-1) has already recorded four shutouts, but the Tigers’ success is twofold, with the offense scoring multiple goals in all but three games this season.
Adam Bergh (8 goals) and Tate Pappas (6 goals, 3 assists) spearhead Delano's attack, and goalkeeper Jack Keranen's 0.83 goals against average gives the Tigers an excellent last line of defense. That balance should give Delano a real shot in finally taking down the Spartans.