Girl’s soccer hopes to make sixth appearance at state

Call ESPN we may have the new Dream Team.

The Sartell Girls’ soccer program exuded dominance with a regular season record of 11-3-2, but they aren’t ready to quit showing their superiority. Playoffs began this week, and the girls are looking to make it to the state tournament for the sixth time in Sartell history.

Even though the girls had a near flawless regular season, they realize to make it to state there are a few patches that need to be fixed. Chloe Yilek, a starting midfielder for the Sabres, spoke on how the girls needed to quit having panic moments. There are times where the team will go blank and struggle for a just a few minutes, and it is these moments where the opposing team ends up capitalizing. If these areas are erased, it will tough to beat Sartell.

Lizzy Minnerath, a starting defender for Sartell and finalist in last year’s Times Soccer Player of the Year, hoped Sartell could recover from injuries. She discussed how some Sabres have struggled with injuries, but the team has, “gotten used to filling those injured player’s spots and been able to play together.”

Though the team articulated a few areas needed to be fixed, they also expressed their astounding chemistry this year. Senior, Tiana Mick, said, “The whole environment is so positive on and off the field. I love all the girls and have made so many new friends.” The team chemistry has been a large factor in their success, but another large factor has been their experienced coach: Roy Snyder.

Soccer is a cruel game.

— Roy Snyder

With 13 years of coaching behind him, Roy is the type of coach to take any team to state. This is coach Snyder’s fourth year coaching Sartell soccer, three of those years as the head coach. “They get along together… there’s a lot of good relationships and strong friendships within the groups,” stated Roy Snyder. The team’s ability to be concerned about one another has been important throughout the season. “When someone is going through a tough time they are very supportive of each other,” declared Roy. He continued to discuss that, as a team there isn’t any standout problems the team needs to fix. Instead, the game will present the challenges. “The difference between winning 4-0 and losing 4-0 can be three inches,” expressed Roy. If the team is ready, focused mentally, and prepared mentally they can find those three inches. After their first two playoff wins, Roy explained that if the team wants to continue their playoff journey, they will need to continue playing sharp and evolve as a team.

We are always trying to be better the next day than we were the day before.

— Roy Snyder

“She is a great presence in the air, she wins balls… and we are definitely more dynamic with her in the lineup,” was Roy’s description of Emma Larson, a senior suffering from a high ankle sprain and a bone chip with two spurs. Although a potentially severe injury, it did not stop Emma from playing in Thursday and Saturday’s game. In talking with Emma, she explained she “hoped to be back by Saturday for their playoff game,” so it came as a large surprise to many fans at the game to hear Emma’s name in the starting lineup Thursday night. The team was enthused to see Emma back on the field because it allowed for some players to fall back into their normal positions.

As the number one seed in the Central Lakes conference the girls are awarded with a lot of home field advantage throughout playoffs, with their next game tonight at 4:00 on the hill.