The past two seasons have seen either Mahtomedi or Hill-Murray capture the Metro East Conference crown — but its the league runner-up that’s won the Class 1A, Section 4 title en route to a state tournament berth.
On Tuesday, these squads, both unbeaten in conference play and among the best in the small-school class, will clash for regular-season bragging rights and a chance for the top seed in sections, making this our Top Game of the Week.
Mahtomedi (8-4, 5-0), the reigning state champion, is coming off four straight wins in which it outscored opponents 20-0. Before the streak, the Zephyrs, ranked No. 2 in the Class 1A state coaches’ poll from Sept. 23, dropped four of five. All four losses were to Class 2A teams.
Mahtomedi junior midfielder Sydney Panek brings goal-scoring experience to the matchup — she netted a goal in the state quarterfinals last year, a 3-0 win over Bemidji. Anna Wagner could be a force, too. The junior scored two of Mahtomedi’s six goals in an Aug. 25 win against Rochester Century.
Hill-Murray is looking for at least a share of a second straight conference title, while remembering its Section 4 title loss to Mahtomedi last season. If the No. 5-1A Pioneers want to buck the two-year trend plaguing conference champions-turned-section runners-up, they could use the continued dominance of Katherine Schindler (15 goals, 16 assists), who's scored in every game except in a season-opening draw with Prior Lake (Aug. 23) and a 2-1 win against No. 4-1A Blake on Sept. 29.
Look for Claire Cater (9 goals, 7 assists) to help shoulder the load for Hill-Murray (8-3-1, 4-0-0), which enters the week riding a three-game win streak.