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Lakeville North defeats Rochester Century, moves on to Class 3A, Section 1 final

By Blaze Fugina, SportsEngine, 10/14/21, 6:00PM CDT

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Lakeville North advanced to the section championship after a one-goal victory over Rochester Century.


Lakeville North's Ashely Bennett (3) with a long kick from outside the box, for the only goal of the night, giving her Panthers the 1-0 section semi final victory over Rochester Century. Photo by Korey McDermott, SportsEngine

It often takes an experienced roster to stand out as a top-10 team in the state rankings and compete for a section championship.

With a starting lineup of nine seniors, it is not surprising one of those 12th graders, Ashley Bennett, found the back of the net to break a scoreless tie in a big spot. The senior midfielder drove a kick to the upper, far corner of the Rochester Century net, delivering the game’s only goal with less than eight minutes left on the clock.

The 1-0 win advanced Lakeville North to the Class 3A, Section 1 championship game.

“It felt so good because we got one over there, but they called it off,” said Bennett, motioning to the opposite goal where it appeared Lakeville North had scored late in the first half of the game. “We were just waiting to get one. And we finally did right at the end, and it felt really good.”


Photo Gallery: Rochester Century girls vs. Lakeville North girls

The experienced roster helped Lakeville North build to a No. 6 ranking in the Oct. 11 Class 3A state ranking. Head coach Brian Lehman mentioned that many of the players on the roster gain experience in the offseason playing in high-performance and club teams in the area. Among those players is his daughter, McKenna Lehman, who is a senior midfielder this year.

"The chemistry has really come together in the last three weeks," Brian Lehman said. "It's really tough to have a nine-week window to get kids to play together in a way that puts the ball in the net. Everybody comes in with different styles."

Thursday's win gave Lakeville North (14-2-1) its seventh consecutive win, and it has not allowed a goal yet in its section tournament run that includes a 3-0 win vs. Rochester John Marshall two days earlier.

While there were plenty of other chances to build a lead in the semifinals game, Lakeville North did not have a problem moving the ball down the field.

"We like to build out of the back and possession to score," Lehman said. "In the end, that's exactly what happened. We connected about six or seven passes, and then Ashley did her thing, tucking it away."

The win gives Lakeville North a chance to play for the section championship on Tuesday, Oct. 19 in a home game against Farmington. Lakeville North defeated the Tigers 3-0 in September.

Another win would give Lakeville North its first state tournament appearance since 2018.

"I really want to play in the bank, and I've always wanted to go to state in high school," Bennett said. "So I'm looking forward to hopefully getting the opportunity to go there."

Thursday's loss ended the season for a Rochester Century team that kept talented Lakeville North within reach for 80 minutes.

Head coach Karen LaDue enjoyed the season with her husband, assistant coach Scott LaDue, and daughters Melanie LaDue and Kristen LaDue all on the field together. Both were seniors this season for Rochester Century (11-5-2).

"Nobody ever plans to lose, so the moment right now is being happy with what we put out here tonight," LaDue said. "I think it's going to sting a little bit, and it will probably be a couple of days before we can come back and really appreciate what we've done."


Rochester Century defenders prepare for a free kick during a semi final game at Lakeville North, Oct 14. Photo by Korey McDermott, SportsEngine

First Report

Better late than never for Ashley Bennett and the Lakeville North girls’ soccer team.

It took more than 70 minutes, but the Lakeville North offense did just enough to earn a spot in the Class 3A, Section 1 championship game in a 1-0 victory vs. Rochester Century (11-5-2, 9-2-0) in Lakeville Thursday.

After Lakeville North (14-2-1, 8-1-0) held possession for most of the game, the senior midfielder Bennett drove a kick to the far, upper corner of the Rochester Century goal with less than eight minutes remaining to break the scoreless tie.

Lakeville North thought they had scored with 27 seconds remaining in the first half, but a potential goal by Macy Zins was waived off due to a foul.

Rochester Century goalkeeper Kate Kopp made 10 saves in the 1-0 loss.


Panther attacker Jocelyn Rowe (10) collides with Rochester Century's Katie Kopp during play Thursday night. Photo by Korey McDermott, SportsEngine

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Tag(s): Boys'  Girls' MSHSL  Big 9  Rochester Century  South Suburban  Lakeville North 

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