The St. Paul City Conference is as competitive as it has ever been with teams taking their success beyond conference play into the postseason. St. Paul Humboldt and Washington were perfect examples of that in 2021 but have struggled somewhat out of the gate in 2022.
The Eagles advanced to the Class 1A state tournament in 2022 before falling to Rochester Lourdes. The Hawks, meanwhile, advanced all the way to the Class A championship before losing to Southwest Christian.
St. Paul Washington (4-2, 1-1), ranked No. 8 in the Sept. 6 Class 1A coaches' poll, started strong with four consecutive wins to open the season before consecutive losses on Sept. 9 and 10.
Looking at the six games the Eagles have played thus far, offense appears to be the key difference. In their first four games, St. Paul Washington was averaging more than five goals per game. In their two most recent games, the Eagles mustered just one goal in each contest.
One of the players who helped spark the St. Paul Washington offense was senior midfielder Chit Plen. One of his top performances came on Sept. 7 against St. Paul Johnson when he netted a hat trick.
St. Paul Humboldt (2-4-1, 1-1) has not had an easy time of it in 2022, but hopes that with most of its non-conference schedule behind them, the Hawks will be able to regain some of that 2021 form.
The schedule for No. 7-1A St. Paul Humboldt hasn't been kind. The Hawks have faced off against bigger schools such as Cretin-Derham Hall while also facing the likes of No. 5-1A Pine Island-Zumbrota-Mazeppa.
If the Hawks are going to turn things around, look at senior forward Saw Say Tha to be one of the catalysts. A top scorer for the 2021 team, Tha already has a pair of multi-goal games this season.