Stillwater, after scoring 21 goals before it gave up one, leads 3A girls' soccer rankings

Stillwater girls' soccer coach Mike Huber faced an interesting situation before the season. He had to mesh an experienced senior class with a talented freshman class.

The mentor of the Class 3A defending state champion has pushed the right buttons in the first three weeks of the season. The Ponies, 8-0 after a 3-1 victory over Roseville on Monday, didn't allow a goal in their first six games, three of them against teams ranked in the top 10 in Class 3A by the Minnesota State High School Soccer Coaches Association. They outscored their opposition 21-0 before yielding a goal.

"The girls have started off much better than expected," Huber said. "With only four returning starters from last year's state championship team, we've really had to work hard playing together as a team and working hard for each other."

The second-ranked Ponies beat No. 1 Rosemount 2-0, No. 5 Edina 2-0 and No. 6 Maple Grove 1-0. Duluth East finally broke through for a goal against the Ponies late in the second half of the seventh game of the season.

"We've relied on winning the 50-50 balls and being strong in the air," Huber said. "We've also been able to score early in many games, which has helped us relax a bit."

Senior captains Lauren Cuta and Nell Smith, both returning starters, have held down the back line. They complement junior Grace Schwoch and sophomore Lauren Wilhaus on defense. Freshmen Reese Elzen and Parker Reardon are the Ponies' goalkeepers.

"They all work well together and help back each other up," Huber said. "Our two freshman goalkeepers have both been fantastic."

SOCCER STATE RANKINGS

By the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association

BOYS

Class 3A

1. Wayzata; 2. Stillwater; 3. Minnetonka; 4. Woodbury; 5. Edina; 6. Andover; 7. East Ridge; 8. Maple Grove; 9. Armstrong; 10. (tie) Champlin Park and Cretin-Derham Hall.

Class 2A

1. Orono; 2. Hill-Murray; 3. Worthington; 4. Holy Angels; 5. Benilde-St. Margaret's; 6. Bloomington Kennedy; 7. DeLaSalle; 8. Two Rivers; 9. Willmar; 10. Richfield.

Class 1A

1. St. Paul Academy; 2. Minnehaha Academy; 3. Providence Academy; 4. Holy Family; 5. Pine Island/Zumbrota-Mazeppa; 6. Southwest Christian; 7. St. Cloud Cathedral; 8. St. Paul Humboldt; 9. St. Paul Washington; 10. Rochester Lourdes.

GIRLS

Class 3A

1. Stillwater; 2. Rosemount; 3. Wayzata; 4. Blaine; 5. Edina; 6. Andover; 7. Centennial; 8. Minnetonka; 8. Maple Grove; 9. Woodbury; 10. Elk River.

Class 2A

1. Holy Angels; 2. Mahtomedi; 3. Hill-Murray; 4. Benilde-St. Margaret's; 5. Totino-Grace; 6. St. Francis; 7. Simley; 8. Cloquet-Carlton; 9. Mankato East; 10. Visitation.

Class 1A

1. Minnehaha Academy; 2. St. Paul Academy; 3. Southwest Christian; 4. Breck; 5. Rochester Lourdes; 6. Providence Academy; 7. St. Croix Prep; 8. St. Croix Lutheran; 9. Holy Family; 10. Spectrum.