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Up for a challenge

By AARON PAITICH, Special to the Star Tribune, 09/16/11, 6:37AM CDT

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Expectations and the talent level are high for the Mahtomedi girls' soccer team, which faces a new level of competition in Class 2A.


Mahtomedi's Mehan Bolton celebrated a goal against Blake in last year's Class 1A tournament. /Elizabeth Flores, Star Tribune

Depth in any sport is a precious commodity, but coach Dave Wald took it to the extreme during Mahtomedi's second game of the girls' soccer season.

After Rochester Mayo took a 1-0 lead, Wald pulled all 11 starters from the game. It was the first goal given up by the Zephyrs this season.

"The first 11 wasn't doing it; we'll take them all out and put the second 11 in," Wald said.

The starters eventually re-entered, quickly scored two goals and won the game 4-1.

That's what the expectations are for defending Classic Suburban champion Mahtomedi, which has won eight of the past 11 conference titles and finished second in the Class 1A state tournament last fall.

Similar to the 2008 state championship team, Wald's squad boasts a boatload of experienced seniors. After 2008, many of the current varsity players came in as sophomores. Now, they believe it's their time to shine again.

But there's one major obstacle for this year's Zephyrs: they've been bumped up to Class 2A because of a new enrollment classification. There are mixed feelings about the change.

"It's a great challenge, but we're still pretty small compared to White Bear Lake or Woodbury. Stillwater's three times as big as us," Wald said. "You see some differences in terms of athleticism of players. At the top end our kids can compete, but when you start playing those teams three days in a row for a section championship, it's a lot different."

Those three teams, along with East Ridge and Hill-Murray, fill out what Wald calls arguably the toughest, deepest section in the state. The good news for the Zephyrs? Mahtomedi steamrolled White Bear Lake 5-0 two weeks ago. The Bears were ranked No. 7 in Class 2A.

Leading the Zephyrs is senior Mehan Bolton, a high-powered forward who has verbally committed to play for the Gophers next season. Bolton tallied 21 goals and eight assists last season. She opened her fifth year of varsity soccer with a hat trick and totaled six goals through the season's first four games.

"She has that knack for scoring that you can't really coach," Wald said. "Kids that just want to put the ball in the net -- she has that. She's fast. She can shoot. She's wiry. She gets pushed down, but she's the type of kid that pushes back."

When defenders key on Bolton, senior forward Emily Sierakowski steps up. The tenacious co-captain scored a hat trick in the state semifinals and was named to the all-tournament team last fall.

Up-and-coming freshman Chelsey Henry comes off the bench rated as the top forward for her age group. Captain and center midfielder Nicole "Coco" Sames played with Bolton and midfielder Ellie Arvesen on the U-17 St. Croix club team that finished second in the nation this summer. All-state honorable mention defenders Sabrina Braddock and captain Tori St. Martin also return.

Bolton already has a Class 1A state championship. She would like a 2A crown to cap her high school career.

"I think we can do it," Bolton said of the new challenges ahead. "We have enough depth. Our team -- how it's looking right now -- we can do anything."