St. Cloud Cathedral and Tech soccer advance to state semifinals for first time ever

MONTICELLO — St. Cloud is sending two boys soccer teams to the state semifinals, both hoping to make the championship game for the first time in program history.

St. Cloud Cathedral and St. Cloud Tech won their state first-round games Wednesday, advancing to the final four in Class 1A and Class 2A, respectively. The Crusaders beat the Duluth Marshall Hilltoppers 2-0 for their 18th shutout of the year and the Tigers came from behind to beat Cloquet/Esko/Carlton 2-1, winning on penalty kicks for the second time in a row having downed St. Cloud Apollo (13-5-1) in the Section 8-2A championship.

Both will play next Wednesday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, with Tech (9-7-3) kicking off at 1 p.m. against No. 2 Hill-Murray (15-3-2) and No. 1 Cathedral (20-0) playing No. 4 Pine Island/Zumbrota-Mazeppa (14-2-2) at 5 p.m.

Back in August, Cathedral opened its season against Marshall (13-4-2), winning 5-0 up north. The Hilltoppers put on a tougher fight in the state game Wednesday in Monticello. Junior goalies Noah Henderson and Thomas Falgier both had to make a few saves each to keep the hard-fought first half tied 0-0. Cathedral striker Jack Stang put the first goal past Falgier for the Crusaders in the 48th minute. He also had a touch on the corner kick that Jacob Oliver cleaned up for the game’s second goal in the 67th minute.

“(The key to the win) was just relentless pressure,” Cathedral coach Alex Hess said. “I've been saying that all year, just keep pressuring. We have the guys that can do it."

Last week Stang and defender Jake Plante were named to the MSHSL's all-state first team and Oliver made the second team.

Hess said he thought the memory of last year’s 6-0 quarterfinal loss to St. Paul Academy could have led to some first-half jitters and the slow start, but he also commended Marshall’s defense, goalkeeping and coaching. Knowing he could rely on a defense that has only allowed three goals this year, at halftime Hess asked for more aggressive midfield play from Oliver. The change “paid dividends,” he said

“We have one of the best defenses in the state,” Hess said. “It’s incredible, I haven’t seen a team play with this much passion to keep the ball out of the net.”

One of Cathedral’s shutouts was against its semifinal opponent on Sept. 28 at a neutral site. The Crusaders beat Pine Island/Zumbrota-Mazeppa 2-0 in Chaska.

“We started slow that game,” Stang said. “We picked it up halfway through the first half and we possessed the ball really well the rest of the game. Our approach (this time) is to just come out straightaway and give it our all, be intense and play as a team.”

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Entering the Class 3A tournament unseeded, Tech drew No. 3 CEC, which hasn’t lost since August 29 and has only allowed four opposing goals. The Lumberjacks scored on a penalty in the first half but with three minutes remaining in the game, senior Caleb Campina had the hero’s touch and tied the game 1-1 thanks to an assist from Will Pearson.

Before rattling off three straight wins in the section tournament, Tech had a losing record. Coach Dan Stoterau said the team is playing with more and more confidence and with clearer roles. He said the Tigers’ difficult early schedule resulted in growth every game.

“We always knew we were on the right path,” he said.

In addition to calling Campina “one of the top finishers I’ve ever seen,” Stoterau praised his “rock solid” midfield of Pearson and captain Omar Ali. Both scored their penalty attempt, as did seniors Abdirahman Mohamed and Teagan Gazdzik. Campina’s attempt was saved, but senior keeper Landon Austin made a save and a Lumberjack kick bounced off a post to seal the 4-3 PK battle.

Tech has not played No. 2 Hill-Murray this season and the teams don’t share a common opponent. The Pioneers haven’t lost since Sept. 30 against Class 3A Woodbury (13-2-3), but Stoterau said the Tigers will be prepared for its third semifinal appearance.

“I think we feel like other teams don’t fully understand who we are and the type of caliber that we are — and we’re totally fine with that narrative,” he said.

Contact reporter Reid Glenn at rglenn@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: St. Cloud Cathedral and Tech soccer advance to state tournament semifinal