Stillwater and East Ridge have emerged as two of the top perennial contenders in not only the Suburban East Conference but in all of Class 3A. These two squads will meet in what could be a preview of a state tournament match down the road.
The Ponies, ranked No. 1 in the latest Class 3A coaches' poll, are unbeaten thanks in part to a suffocating defense that has allowed just two goals in all of September and giving up 0.55 goals per game this season.
Though the defense looks like the bright spot on paper, the Pony duo of Mikias Taddeas and Liam Moreira have stolen the show when it comes to goal scoring. The pair of teammates both lead the team with 17 goals. Moreira has also dished out 12 assists this season.
East Ridge (7-2-2, 3-2) has a lot of work to do when it comes to getting back into the Suburban East Conference race. A win on Thursday would do just that.
The No. 7-3A Raptors are in the midst of a tough stretch of soccer against tough opponents. They fell to No. 9-3A Cretin-Derham Hall 1-0 on Sept. 22 and tied Minneapolis Southwest 0-0.
Ashton Johnson certainly looks to be one of the threats Stillwater will have to handle. Against Tartan on Sept. 10, the junior had two goals and an assist in his team's victory.