In the case of the Orono boys’ soccer team, size matters. It certainly did Wednesday.

The Spartans used their superior size and accompanying physicality to defeat Willmar 3-1 and advance to Saturday’s Class 2A championship games.

“We’ve got a big team,” Orono coach Derek Engler said. “I’m the shortest guy on the sideline."

Engler said he didn’t think his team was overly physical – not any more than in previous games – but Willmar coach Jeff Winter saw things a little differently.

“They beat us up a little,” he said of Orono’s ability to keep the talented-but-undersized Cardinals from generating chances in front of the goal. “They bullied us.”

Orono took a 1-0 lead in the 25th minute when senior midfielder Andrew DeWitt scored on a penalty kick, sneaking his off-speed shot just inside the left post.

“I’ve been taking a lot of them this year,” said DeWitt. “Taking pace off has worked for me.”

Orono’s lead went to 2-0 when Franklin Schwendimann converted a free ball in front of the Willmar goal with a bicycle kick and made it 3-0 on a goal a few minutes later by Cal Ehlen.

“Once we got that second goal, it made it a little easier for us,” DeWitt said.

Willmar finally cracked the tough Orono defense in the 69th minute when Abdullahi Mohamud finally located some space in front of the Spartans goal and fed a cross to Jairon Martinez Coto, who converted on the 69th minute. The Cardinals kept the pressure on until the final horn but could not manage another goals.

“We learned from that goal,” Engler said. “We’re playing our best right now.”

Orono, which won the 2015 Class 1A championship, improved to 19-1-1. Willmar lost for the first time this season and fell to 18-1-2.