The magic word for soccer coaches: nil.
Meet the 10 high school soccer teams in Minnesota that haven't given up a goal this season
Two of them are boys teams, eight are girls teams and one has played three scoreless draws in four games.
Three weeks into the season, 10 high school soccer teams in Minnesota have yet to yield a goal.
Two are boys teams, both in Class 1A: St. Charles/Lewiston-Altura (5-0-1) and St. Cloud Cathedral (4-0).
On the girls side, eight programs are still pitching shutouts. They are Blaine (5-0), Lakeville South (4-0), Minnetonka (5-0) and Spring Lake Park (5-0-1) in Class 3A; Alexandria (4-0-1), St. Francis (1-0-3) and St. Peter (5-0) in Class 2A, and Albany (5-0) in Class 1A. St. Francis has played three scoreless draws.
Did they pile up those shutouts against weak competition? Here are the top five teams from the group based on their opposition's winning percentage:
1. St. Francis girls (10-6-5, .595)
2. Blaine girls (14-11-4, .552)
3. Alexandria girls (12-15-4, .452)
4. St. Cloud Cathedral boys (7-10-4, .429)
5. St. Charles/Lewiston-Altura boys (11-16-3, .417)
Six players plus head coach Garrett Raboin and assistant coach Ben Gordon are from Minnesota. The tournament’s games will be televised starting Monday.