Toppers Top Denfeld To Earn a Trip To State

Oct 18, 2012

Dwight Cadwell-NSO

DULUTH- The Duluth Marshall Hilltoppers avenged a loss last year in the section finals to Cloquet, and this season the Toppers were prepared and set to hold on to the number one seeding in the section and they did just that as they knocked off Denfeld 2-1 in the section championship contest.

The top two seeds in the section met for the second time this season and again this match was as close as the first as these two teams tied 3-3 at the end of August at Public Schools Stadium. Both of these teams were entering the section championship game with 2-1 victories in the semi-finals.

Denfeld beat Grand Rapids 2-1 in a shootout Tuesday night at PSS while the Marshall Hilltoppers beat Chisago Lakes Area by the same 2-1 score, which set up Thursday night section final rematch.

Marshal would get in the score board first when Thomas Welinski scored the first goal of the game at the 30 minute mark. He split two defenders and raced in and put the ball past Hunter goalie Maxx Tollefson.

The Hunters tied the contest only a little over two minutes into the second half when JD Foldesi scored when the Marshall defense failed to clear the ball from their end and Foldesi took advantage of the opportunity and tied the game at 1-1.

Marshall’s Payton Rengel put the Toppers in front 2-1 at the 66 minute mark as he scored on a breakaway to give the Hilltoppers the go ahead goal which also proved to be the winning goal in the contest.

The Hilltoppers will make their first appearance to the state soccer tournament since 2007 when they were the state champions that year. Marshall will be making their fourth overall appearance in the state soccer tournament. Denfeld finishes the season with an overall record of 11-6-2, while the Hilltoppers go to 10-5-4.

Dwight Cadwell can be reached at dwight@northlandsportsonline.com