Waconia hasn’t appeared in the Class 1A state tournament since 2013, but perhaps no team has been banging on the door more loudly than the No. 6-1A Wildcats, who went 11-2-3 in the regular season last fall before losing to Holy Family Catholic 1-0 in the Class 1A, Section 6 section final.
Mason Wellnitz and Nate Dean lead Waconia’s (7-0-0, 2-0-0) offense, and goalkeeper Nate White has stopped 51 of 54 shots.
Orono (6-2-0, 2-0-0) is riding a four-game winning streak thanks to the scoring of Ben Summers (six goals, two assists). The No. 7-1A Spartans are 4-1-1 against Waconia in regular season play since 2013 — the Wildcats’ lone win in that span came last fall.