Maple Grove stunned third-seeded White Bear Lake 2-1 in the quarterfinal round of the Class 3A girls soccer state tournament Thursday at Kuhlman Stadium in Edina.
The unseeded Crimson withstood early pressure from the Bears. Crimson goalkeeper Diana Park made two saves early and saw a free kick from 25 yards out hit the crossbar. Park finished the game with four saves.
"I was telling myself to calm down because I get really anxious. I just tried to calm down," Park said.
The Crimson (9-6-4) broke through with their first shot on goal at the 21:11 mark. Jessica Lee made it count with a perfectly placed shot into the upper right corner of the net. The Crimson extended the lead 4:51 later on a shot from Keira Gill. Park said those goals relieved her and her team but didn't relax them.
"We knew we still had a whole game to play," she said.
The Bears (14-4-2) got their goal when Jenna Maloy's shot deflected past the Crimson goalkeeper with 2:37 left in the first half.
The rain that started just before the opening kick and lasted throughout the game made play difficult. Players often could not hit the ball cleanly on passes or shots, and footwork was affected. Offense was hampered, but it wasn't exactly an advantage for goaltenders, either.
"I had to keep my eye on the ball the whole time," Park said.