Wednesday
Salvo SC 1-2 Minnesota Thunder
Thunder hold on to equal the season series with their perennial rivals. Minnesota Golden Gopher Grace Estby accounted for both goals for the visitors, 7 minutes apart from the 57th minute after a scoreless first half, connecting on balls dissecting the left of the Salvo defense. Salvo pushed further forward and secured their only goal of the game on a powerful header by Lauren Eckerle.
St Croix Legacy 2-1 MN Bliss FC
In the ninth minute, Loretta Wacek (North Dakota State Bison) was fouled in the area by Savannah Stockness and Grace Fogarty scored the penalty kick to put Bliss ahead. Tatum Trettel equalized in the 19th minute off a loose ball at the far post. CJ Fredkove scored the winner on the hour mark, blasting a free kick from just outside the penalty area into the side netting.
Saturday
Joy Athletic Club 0-1 Manitou FC
In a matchup of teams struggling for relevance this season, former Minnesota Aurora player Mandy Elton (of Cottage Grove, MN via St Catherines) made the difference in the 75th minute.
Sunday
Minnesota Thunder 5-2 St Croix Legacy
Legacy went ahead in the 11th minute, after a long ball down the middle was dispatched by Lake Elmo, MN’s Amara Smith, who plays collegiate ball for MN State Mankato. The home side equalized in the 33rd minute after head tennis from a corner. The decisive blow was made by Blaine, MN’s Kendall Stadden, a newly transferred North Dakota State Bison. It was still even at half time.
It took until the 58th minute before Thunder took their first lead of the match, Stadden’s former team mate at Minnesota, Paige Kalal, with a free kick, 25 yards out on the left, blasted into the net. Stadden scored her second in the 72nd minute, from a cross down the left from Bella Naples. Legacy threatened to reel in their hosts, as Bella Meyer and Amara Smith setting up Kenzie Jacobson to make it 3-2 only three minutes later. The margin of victory was only inflated by late goals. Lou Ruffien (who goes to Harvard) finished off a Paige Peltier cross. One minute later, Paige Peltier turned scorer, off a Paige Kalal corner.
Mankato United 2-0 MN Bliss FC
A battle in the center of the park, Bliss had a strong claim for a penalty kick in the first half but neither team could finish a chance. In the 57th minute, a center back curls the ball in to Johnson for Mankato, her shot was blocked but Julia Fischer put the rebound in. The game was salted away in the 87th minute, Ella Huettl connected on a defensive miscue by Charlotte Li and put it through the keeper’s legs. It was a night for the Mankato locals, as both Huettl and Fischer are from Mankato and playing for MN State Mankato.
Salvo SC 8-0 Minnesota Dutch Lions
The Minnesota Golden Gopher Davy Mokelke of Wayzata, MN has had a red hot start to the season and continued it, with the opening two in this rout of the curiously placed Dutch Lions (who had drawn both their previous ties this season). The third came via the St Thomas Tommie Sophia Barjesteh, from neighboring Woodbury, as she lifted a ball into the top corner from the top of the box. Dominating their right flank produced easy finishes for Ashley Thirk in the 35th minute and Avery Petty in the 38th. It was 5-0 at half time.
A close range blast into the roof of the net for Petty’s second of the game in the 58th minute made it six and Sofia Englund scored the seventh on the counter in the 63rd minute. The literal last kick of the game was from Mya Nugent to notch up an eighth. Dutch Lions defense at times did not help the visitors, but Salvo were mostly lethal in their finishing and go back on top of the division.