From the first whistle, the Trojans took control of possession and had numerous good looks at goal. 

“Unfortunately we didn’t really finish our opportunities again,” Peszneker said. “I thought we could have been up by a few in the first half, but that’s been a thing we have been struggling with.” 

Wayzata’s Dana Bruer, Megan Smith and Ana Munyon all had wide-open shots in the first half, but they were turned away by stellar goalkeeping from Hopkins senior Luci Rock. 

Rock stopped 10 shots in the first half. Diving, jumping and corralling any ball that came her way, Rock kept the game scoreless before a collision with Bruer took her out of the game. 

The competitiveness and closeness of the game came as no surprise to Peszneker. 

“We knew that the games we played, they were close,” Peszneker said. “They are going to go either way, and this is dating back for the last few years.” 

Hopkins and Wayzata tied in their first meeting of the season back on Sept. 9 while the Royals got the better of the Trojans 1-0 on Sept. 30. 

“It’s tough to play a team three times,” Peszneker said. “When all the games are so close, there’s not much that separates it.” 

Wayzata was able to separate itself in the second half when senior Grace Lopata sent a high-flying kick from the 20-yard line, which looped over the hands of backup goalie Olivia Rivera, finding the top corner of the net. 

“I just thought I’d take the shot,” Lopata said. “Usually those shots from outside the box don’t have the biggest chance of going in, but I saw it go through the net and I was just so surprised.” 

Lopata’s goal, coming at the 55 minute, 14 second mark of the second half, gave Wayzata life. 

Just six minutes later, Bruer, who leads the Trojans in goals this season, scored a unique and unexpected goal. 

“It was a slow roller. It was my left foot,” Bruer said. “I don’t even know if I was expecting that one to go in. I was watching it roll and I started to hear people cheer and I was like, ‘alright, it’s in the net.’” 

Bruer’s goal gave the road team a critical 2-0 advantage with under 20 minutes to play, and ultimately held off the section rivals in the final minutes. 

“Hopkins is a great team,” Bruer said. “They’re technical. They have super fast forwards that were challenging for us.” 

Bruer noted her team’s intensity on defense and overall drive as the deciding factors in tonight’s game. 

“We knew we had to come into this game with intensity,” Bruer said. “That was the only way we were going to win this game. Every pep talk we had, every cheer we made, it was all about the intensity and just working harder than they would.” 

Despite their close encounters, when it comes down to it, the Trojans usually find their way on the winning side against the Royals. Hopkins had its season end on a loss to Wayzata for four straight years from 2009 to 2012. With Tuesday’s loss, it’s now three consecutive seasons since 2019 that the Royals have come up short to the Trojans. 

“For us it’s a natural process,” Pezneker said. “We spent a good first half of the season just looking at all the different players, combinations, and now it’s a lot more situational. We know where these players can be used.”

Wayzata’s run to the section title included a 10-0 win over Robbinsdale Armstrong, and a 3-0 win over Minneapolis Washburn. 

“To not allow any goals in the last three games has been a big boost for us,” Pezneker concluded.