Mankato East boys soccer advances to state tournament with 1-0 win over Marshall in 2A, Section 2 final

When the whistle blew in Mankato East’s Class 2A, Section 2 final win, coach Jerrad Aspelund joined in on the dog pile of hollering players.

Aspelund has been with the team 19 seasons and has been in the section final in over half of those. But Mankato East, the No. 8-ranked team in 2A, hasn’t been to the state tournament since 2012, and hasn’t been able to replicate the magic of its runner-up 2A finish in 2010.

Until now.

“It’s tough to get to a final. Tough to win it, too. But this group is special,” Aspelund said.

In Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Marshall at New Prague High School, a back-and-forth gridlock finally tilted in favor of Mankato East (13-3-2) three minutes into overtime. Senior forward Salman Ali slotted a cross into the 18-yard box to junior forward Carson Stenzel, who finished it high and right.

The Cougars lost a heartbreaker in penalties during last year’s section final. Stenzel made sure a shootout wasn’t needed this year for East’s 11 returning players.

“We had a good team talk after the second half, into overtime,” Stenzel said. “We got all of our mindsets ready.”

Mankato East sophomore defender Briggs Meyer played “lights out,” said Aspelund, who challenged Meyer to mark their opponent’s best player in each playoff game this year. The Cougars’ five-man backline contained one of the state’s top scorers in Marshall senior Moo Gay, who led the Tigers (14-3-2) to their first-ever section championship game.

After graduating talented seniors last year, senior midfielder Jhoel Dillon thought it might be a “refresher” year. But in the team’s first game, Dillon recognized that wasn’t the case.

“We played as a team,” Dillon said. “We didn’t play like individuals.”

Class 1A:

Section 1: Rochester Lourdes 5, Winona Cotter 1

Section 4: St. Croix Prep 2, St. Paul Washington 0

Section 5: Fridley 2, Maranatha Christian 0

Section 6: Breck 1, Southwest Christian 0

Section 7: Duluth Denfeld 5, Legacy Christian 4

Section 8: St. Cloud Cathedral 5, Fergus Falls 0

Class 2A:

Section 1: Northfield 1, Faribault 0

Section 3: Holy Angels 2, Hill-Murray 1

Section 4: Totino-Grace 5, St. Paul Como Park 1

Section 6: Orono 4, Delano 2

Section 7: Cloquet/Esko/Carlton 3, Hermantown 2

Class 3A:

Section 1: Rochester Mayo 2, Lakeville North 1

Section 3: Eagan 2, Rosemount 1

Section 4: Woodbury 4, Two Rivers 1

Section 5: Maple Grove 2, Champlin Park 1

Section 7: Blaine 4, Andover 1 (PK shootout)