Girls’ soccer seasons almost always end with Mahtomedi plastered all over the headlines, so why not start 2019 the same way?
Mahtomedi. Mahtomedi. Mahtomedi.
The Zephyrs’ dominance is indisputable. Last year’s Class 1A title was Mahtomedi’s second straight and a state-best eighth overall in 14 appearances.
Mahtomedi, of course, started this season ranked No. 1 in the Class 1A coaches' preseason poll. The Zephrys (2-0, 0-0) return standout goalkeeper Megan Lisowy and high-scoring midfielder Audrey Sexson, both seniors. Lisowy and Sexson were coaches' association Class 1A all-state selections last season. Sexson also made the all-tournament team last fall.
After opening the season with twin 2-0 victories over Rochester Mayo and Rochester Century, the Zephyrs face a neighboring rival in White Bear Lake that has given them fits in recent years. White Bear Lake, a Class 2A school with an enrollment about twice the size of Mahtomedi’s, has won the “Battle of the Lake” twice in the last three years. For those unfamiliar with northeast metro geography, White Bear Lake sits on the northwest shore of White Bear Lake while Mahtomedi is located on the southeast shore.
White Bear Lake opened the season with a 3-1 loss to No. 9-2A Centennial but rebounded with a 4-1 rout of Eastview. Senior Kayla Anderson scored twice for the No. 10-2A Bears (1-1, 0-0).