Sam Vue (29) of Lakeville North and Logan Huber (5) of Stillwater fight for the ball in the Class 2A quarterfinal match Thursday at Chisago Lakes High School. Photo: Richard Tsong-Taatarii¥Richard.Tsong-Taatarii@startribune.com
Ethan Kilmer
Having appeared in the last two Class 2A boys’ soccer state title games, No. 2 Stillwater came into its record 29th state tournament appearance with another deep run in mind. The Ponies’ quarterfinal opponent, unranked Lakeville North, had other plans.
Midfielder Ethan Kilmer scored what proved to be the game-winner for the Ponies (17-1-2) with 12:36 left in the second half of their 2-1 victory Thursday at Chisago Lakes High School. But goals were not easy to come by for Stillwater.
The Ponies struggled to find their way to the net through much of the first half. When they did, Panthers sophomore goalkeeper Evan Siefken, who had three shutouts during the Section 1 playoffs, showed confidence as he ran out to cut off many loose balls into oncoming traffic.
Lakeville North (11-7-2) struck first just more than five minutes into the match on an unassisted goal from forward Logan Lyden. The first half featured fast, physical play by both teams.
Photo gallery: Stillwater vs. Lakeville North
Stillwater took a different approach after halftime.
“We played so much more physical (in the second half), and we tried to match their intensity off the ball,” Stillwater coach Jake Smothers said.
Stillwater tied the game at 1-1 on midfielder Max Stauffer’s goal in the 17th minute of the second half. Goalkeeper Siefken then continued to stave off Stillwater scoring chances late in the match but Kilmer’s goal was the exception.
“I wasn’t really thinking much,” Kilmer said of his goal. “I just kept running, I passed the ball to Spencer (Scott), he went to Ben Snyder. I knew where Ben was going play it near the net, and I just ran right through and scored. It felt amazing.”
Stillwater will face No. 5 St. Paul Central (18-0-2) on Wednesday in the semifinals.
First report
Having appeared in the last two Class 2A state title games, No. 2-ranked Stillwater came into its record 29th state tournament appearance with another deep run in mind. But quarterfinal opponent Lakeville North, which was not ranked, had other plans.
Midfielder Ethan Kilmer scored what proved to be the game winner for the Ponies at 12:36 in the second half of their 2-1 victory Thursday at Chisago Lakes High School.
“I wasn’t really thinking much,” Kilmer said in describing his game winning goal. “I just kept running, I passed the ball to Spencer (Scott), he moved it over to Ben Snyder. I knew where Ben was going play it near the net, and I just ran right through and scored. It felt amazing.”
But Stillwater's goals were not easy to come by. The Ponies (17-1-2) struggled to find their way to the net through much of the first half. When they did, Panthers sophomore goalkeeper Even Siefken showed confidence as he ran out to cut off many loose balls into oncoming traffic.
Lakeville North struck first with an unassisted goal by senior forward Logan Lyden just more than five minutes into the contest. That proved to be the only goal of the first half in a match that featured fast, physical play by both teams.
Stillwater tied the game at 1-1 at 22:41 in the second half on an unassisted goal by midfielder Max Stauffer. Siefken and his defenders continued to stave off Stillwater scoring chances late in regulation, before Kilmer’s game winner.
“We played so much better in the second half," Ponies coach Jake Smothers said. "We played much more physical and we tried to match their intensity off the ball. In the first half we were just watching them run at everything.”
The Panthers held the Ponies' Spencer Scott (18 goals) and Logan Huber (12 goals) – both Star Tribune All-Metro first team selections – in check throughout the match.
Coming into the tournament Lakeville (11-7-2) had won seven of its last eight matches, including three consecutive shutouts in the Section 1 playoffs.
