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Ali Browne

SWEET CELEBRATION. After the Spartans take the lead in the first half, the whole team joins to congratulate Bollinger Danielson on her successful shot.

Coming into the championship game, the girls varsity soccer team had a running joke that the chance of them winning was one in ten. They were the underdogs; despite, their optimistic attitudes and the support of their fans, they weren’t expected to win. In the end, that is all the motivation they needed to pull it off.

The rivalry between the girls soccer teams from SPA and Minnehaha Academy has been long-brewing. Last fall, even after the Spartans pulled off two wins against the Redhawks in the regular season, they fell short in the semi-finals, and the Redhawks went on to win both the section and state championships. This season, the Redhawks continued to dominate in their conference matchups with the Spartans, winning 6-0 and 2-0. The Redhawks entered the section tournament as the #1 seed, with the Spartans coming in at #2.

The Spartans knew they had something to prove, and after watching the boys come through at the last minute, they were ready. Immediately after kickoff, they started off on the right foot. Despite the sub-40-degree temperatures, the Spartans came out with energy, enthusiasm, and excitement, connecting passes well and going after every ball.

After two hard matchups this season, the Spartans knew their opponents’ strengths well. The team was determined to mark and keep the pressure on star player Berit Parten, who scored seven of the previous eight goals against them and recently verbally committed to the University of Iowa to play Division I soccer. Defenders Annie Zhang, Lucia Gonzalez, Aurelia Meza, Heidi Deuel, and midfielder Hazel McCarthy, were key in executing their defensive strategy.

“Our mindset was to be aggressive, work hard, and maintain the pressure on their offense the whole game. Our formation and mindset paid off,” McCarthy said.

With defense under control, the next step was upping their offense. Led by captain Maryeva Gonzalez, the midfielders were patient and ready to step to every ball to keep offensive momentum rolling and distribute the ball to the forwards. With speed and skilled ball control, the dynamic duo of Elizabeth Tuttle and Sawyer Bollinger Danielson led the Spartans to important offensive runs, eventually culminating in a goal by Bollinger Danielson in the 25th minute.

Keeping shots and breakaways at bay for the remaining 55 minutes, goalie Lindsay Browne had an exceptional performance. Browne was a driving force in the Spartan’s win by making nine saves, preventing shots off of corner kicks, and communicating well with her teammates, giving the Redhawks their first scoreless game since the 2020 season.

When the nail-biter game finally ended, cheers echoed all around as spectators stormed the field to congratulate the team on their well-deserved victory. Making it an even more memorable occasion, GVS is leading the SPA girls soccer program to the state tournament for the first time in six years.

“I remember the team going to state when I was in sixth grade and seeing Belle Smith handle the penalty kicks and just thinking to myself as a goalie that that is who I wanted to be and what I wanted my high school soccer career to look like. Having this come true is so surreal,” Browne said.

GVS will be advancing to the class A state tournament, and the details of their first game are still being determined.