Eagan Finally Breaks Loose Offensively While Maintaining Defensive Discipline

By Mike Wagner

Soccer, like life, is all about how you respond to the disappointments and the successes you experience.  After a hugely disappointing loss to Owatonna on Saturday, September 8 the Eagan Wildcats Boys’ Soccer Team had an opportunity to show exactly what kind of character they had as a team.  Would they fold under the pressure of a tough four game stretch against Eden Prairie (OT loss), Eastview (OT tie), Lakeville North (2-1 win), and Owatonna (1-2 loss), or would they rise to the occasion and show their mettle?  If  the team’s response against Prior Lake Tuesday, September 11 is any indication, the Cats are not ready to slink away quietly.

Things did not exactly start out smoothly.  Just eight minutes into the game a Prior Lake midfielder got the ball deep down in Eagan territory and after beating two Cat defenders as he moved toward the goal, a third defender and the Wildcat keeper were unable to respond in time as the Laker player buried the ball top shelf on the near post.  With Eagan’s early season offensive struggles there was a collective sense of “Here we go again.”  But, undaunted, just two minutes later, Kyle Mayne sent a long crossing ball from 40 yards out that found the Prior Lake keeper back pedaling and jumping backward as the ball tipped off his fingertips to a waiting Juan Sjoberg for an easy goal to even the game.  With a strong wind at their back and Eagan in clear control of the action, Coach Merrick opted to clear the bench inserting fresh players on the field.  The strategy paid off as in the 31^st minute Kyle Mayne sent another similar to the first goal long crossing ball into the top of the penalty area that Abdi Ali was able to hold long enough to lay off to a streaking Kyle Stefani who rifled a shot past the Laker keeper to move Eagan up 2-1.  In the 35^th minute Chad Miller lined up to take an in swinging right footed corner kick from the left corner.  He placed the ball perfectly over the players at the near post and with a little help from the prevailing wind he caught the keeper off guard as the ball sailed into the net for an unassisted goal to put Eagan up 3-1 going to the half.  The Cats had 14 shots in the first half with six of them on net including the three that went in, while Prior Lake managed five forcing Keith Krawza to make four saves.

The majority of the same players that finished the first half stayed on start the second half.  Playing into the wind they held serve as neither team generated many scoring opportunities.  In the 57^th minute Brady Martin replaced Krawza in goal to see how he would respond to entering a game with little preparation.  Krawza had made one save to that point of the half with two other Laker shots missing their mark and two more being knocked away by Eagan defenders.  Martin was forced to make two more saves after entering the game with Prior Lake only sending one other shot off the net for the half as the strong play by the Cats back four (Ryan Larson, Carter Johns, Kyle Mayne, Ed Olson, Kevin Clough) plus one holding midfielder (Jake Punch, Chad Miller) continues to be a strong point of the team effort.  The starters reentered in the 64^th minute and with fresh legs showed they wanted more.  In the 70^th minute a long ball played to the right side found the head of Ryan Mott who played it over the Laker keeper to a waiting Wyatt Wagner who put Eagan up 4-1.  And, in the 77^th minute Mott played a chip to Sjoberg who finished the scoring as the Cats went up 5-1.  Eagan managed 15 shots playing into the wind with seven hitting their intended target.  It was a great team effort and a strong response to the frustration they experienced the previous Saturday in Owatonna.  They are a team out to prove the pollsters were wrong in dropping them out of the top 10 rankings.

Next up for the Cats is EAA night Thursday, September 13 at Wildcat Stadium versus Rosemount at 7:00 pm.  Saturday Eagan will be at home again against Cretin in a non-conference match-up at 12:00 pm with CherryBerry Self Serve Yogurt hosting the Half-Time Varsity Shoot-Out Contest.  Next week Eagan will go to Jefferson Tuesday, September 18^th for a 4:45 pm start before returning home Thursday, September 20^th for a match-up with Lakeville South at 7:00 pm.  Saturday, September 22^nd the Cats will face Sibley in another non-conference matinee at 1:00 pm in their Homecoming Kick-Off Game with Coronation Court later that evening.  John Curlee State Farm Insurance will host the Varsity Half-Time Contest and will have many free give-a-ways during some tailgating activities.  Come out and cheer on your Eagan Wildcats Boys’ Soccer Team.