Eagan, Maple Grove advance to Class 3A boys soccer state championship

It took until the very end, but Eagan got it done.

With four minutes remaining in double overtime of the Class 3A boys soccer state semifinals Wednesday, senior forward Jake Sondag scored the golden goal, giving the Wildcats a 1-0 victory over Minneapolis Washburn at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Eagan, the fourth seed in the state tournament, became the first team to beat undefeated top seed Washburn this year.

Returning to state for the first time since 2015, the win books the Wildcats (19-1-1) their first-ever spot in Friday’s state championship. They will face Maple Grove at 8 a.m. Friday in the 3A state championship.

“It’s been our dream senior season,” Eagan senior midfielder Syon Thapa said. “Every kid, when they think about their high school soccer career, (it’s) getting to the Bank, playing in the championship.”

Ninety minutes of scoreless stalemate — thanks to both teams’ strong goalkeeping performances — nearly broke when five minutes into overtime, Washburn senior forward Julian Brower-Snelson and freshman forward Lucas Neu hit two shots off the right goal post only seconds apart.

“The last 15 minutes, it felt to me we were kind of wearing them down a little bit,” Washburn head coach Aaron Percy said. “We just couldn’t find one when we had those opportunities.”

Minutes later, the ball would roll in Eagan’s favor, literally. Sondag drove down the right sideline and slotted a pass into All-State junior midfielder Eric Noll. Washburn keeper Henry Johnson saved Noll’s shot, but Sondag crashed into a crowded box and knocked in the rebound, which slowly rolled over the goal line.

“It’s something I’ve been taught as a striker… always go toward the keeper,” said Sondag, in his just second year playing the position. “You never know if there’s going to be a rebound.”

Crashing the keeper is something the team has emphasized more this year, Eagan senior midfielder and 3A Mr. Soccer finalist Blake Prouty said. “Our production has gone way up,” Prouty said.

Eagan had the offensive edge over Washburn in the first half, with sophomore forward Zayan Oliyath dribbling up the left and right flanks to serve balls into the box for the Wildcats. Washburn’s defense, led by All-State defender Ryan Josephson, dealt with the pressure, preventing any point-blank shots on Johnson.

That was less the case in the second half, as both goalkeepers were called up to make big saves. With 27 minutes left, a bending shot from Oliyath forced a diving save from Johnson.

Washburn returned the favor to Eagan goalkeeper Zachary Roxas with 15 minutes left, as Roxas parried away a long-range shot. He made a close-range stop on Neu less than five minutes later, though the play was eventually ruled offside.

With less than a minute left in regulation, Prouty had a chance to score for the Wildcats, but Johnson again made the save for the Millers.

The Millers’ (15-1-3) loss ends a strong season that saw Washburn return to state for the first time since 2019 and earn its fifth Mr. Soccer honor in the past decade, with senior midfielder Ronan Selbo winning the award for the boys 3A classification.

Most of Eagan’s roster dyed their hair in preparation of Wednesday’s game. Senior defender Asher Brunette was one of the lone holdouts, insisting after the game he’d already buzzed his head once before the season.

“We’ll get him to do it,” said Prouty, as their assistant coaches had promised they would dye theirs, too, with a Wildcats semifinal win.

In September, Maple Grove and Andover battled to a scoreless regular-season draw. It was the only game that the Crimson walked away from without a win.

Not this time.

In Wednesday’s Class 3A boys soccer state semifinals, No. 2 seed Maple Grove beat Andover, 3-1, to complete the matchup for Friday’s state championship. It’s Maple Grove’s second consecutive trip to the state title game after finishing runner up to Wayzata last year.

“We have a lot of seniors who can lead the younger guys. We can tell them what it’s like,” said Maple Grove senior midfielder Ike Dueul. “But it’s not the same until you actually step onto the field.”

Coming out of halftime tied 1-1, Maple Grove senior Ike Deuel and sophomore Parker Carlson scored two second-half goals to put the Crimson (18-0-1) ahead.

With 19 minutes remaining, Deuel, Maple Grove’s playmaker, curled a low, clinical shot into the bottom right corner of the net, past the outstretched dive of Andover keeper Christian Guenther to put the Crimson ahead, 2-1.

“What was going through a few of our minds was how are we going to find a way to create a chance, because we can’t just keep (the ball),” Deuel said. “I trusted myself, and it just happened to bounce in. I think it was more just having a team around me to calm me down.”

While Andover (11-4-3) pressed high for its equalizer, Crimson junior Everett Johnston tucked a pass into the box for Carlson, who put Maple Grove ahead by two with nine minutes left in the game.

Andover had its own share of second-half chances hoping to equalize, hitting one off the post with six minutes remaining and forcing Maple Grove goalkeeper Zander Waldrum into two diving saves to his right.

Dueul also delivered the corner kick that opened the scoring seven minutes into the game for Maple Grove. He hit an in-swinging corner to sophomore midfielder Carter Mast on the back post, and Mast tapped the ball to senior forward Gannon Farrens, whose shot slipped through the crowded goalmouth for his tenth goal of the year.

“It’s always nice to get one early, especially in an environment like this,” Farrens said. “The Bank is always super fun to play at, but it can get you a little jittery sometimes. (To score early) is a big confidence booster.”

The Crimson had more corners, shots and chances in their favor through the first half hour, but an Andover backline in front of Guenther weathered the storm until the Huskies got a break of their own.

A half-hour in, Andover senior forward Caden Hanson got around high-stepping Waldrum and finished a low shot into the net to tie the game, 1-1.

In their third consecutive trip to the Bank, experience in high-pressure games helped the Crimson regroup and not let the equalizer derail their game plan.

“Pregame, some of the captains and some of the returners looked at each other like, ‘Well, the stadium looks a lot smaller than last time, right?’” Maple Grove senior defender Frank Miller said. “It helps coming in here with cool heads.”