Blake's Will Mortenson (19), who scored the game's only goal, runs the ball past Duluth Denfeld midfielder Caden Rathke. Both teams were scoreless in the first half. Photo: Mark Vancleave, Star Tribune
It wasn’t easy but top-seeded Blake pulled out a 1-0 victory over Duluth Denfeld on Wednesday in the Class 1A quarterfinals at Chisago Lakes High School.
“(The Hunters) were organized,” Blake coach Tamba Johnson said. “They kept it congested in their half. We were just trying to figure out how to stretch them out. They stayed really compact.”
Will Mortenson found a way with 14:38 left in the game. He got behind the defense and got his shot under a diving Hunters goalkeeper Eric Gibson.
“I thought if I could get body position on their defender and get a shot off, I would have a good chance of scoring,” Mortenson said.