Section 7A Girls Soccer Preview

Oct 20

Wes Vork-NSO

With the upcoming Section 7A final matchup between girls’ Cloquet and Esko-Carlton soccer teams on the horizon, the age old adage of “the fiercest rivalry is when you play your best friends” could not be truer.

Both Cloquet and Esko-Carlton have marched through the 2009 Section 7A soccer playoffs basically unchallenged. Cloquet, the #1 seed received a first round forfeit from North Lakes Academy, beat #8 seed Hibbing 3-0. They then qualified for the section finals by topping Hermantown 4-0 Tuesday at Bromberg field. #2 seed Esko-Carlton had a similar march through the playoffs, beating Eveleth-Gilbert 18-0 in the first round, Two Harbors 5-1 in the second round and Duluth Denfeld 2-0 in the section semi-finals.

While these student athletes are now the fiercest of rivals on separate teams,
that wasn’t always the case. In 2006, the core group of seniors from both high school teams played together on the Cloquet Soccer Association summer league U-14 team in the C-2 division. That team, coached by Mark Hagen and Gary Tyman, took on some of the best teams the state had to offer and brought a state championship to Cloquet.

Although the two high school programs split after the 2000 soccer season, a lack of sufficient numbers in both youth programs led to the Esko-Carlton players joining the Cloquet summer league team. This merger, according to Hagen, worked out great for all involved and made for a more competitive team. “Without the players from Esko, we would have been just another good team,” Hagen commented.

U-14 state champion players from Cloquet included goalkeeper Kaitrin Rathe, Kaitrin Rikkola, Haley Bassett, Lena Swander, Kialee Kutter, Kate Proulx, Katie Pappas, Hannah Tyman and Carleen Johnson.

Esko-Carlton players from that same team included Hope Anderson, Jill Tomczak, Kate Marquis, Amanda Bergstedt and Tess Mattson.

While that summer program has undoubtedly helped both teams, Hagen, a Cloquet native, is in a tough spot when it comes to who he should root for. In a recent interview, Hagen’s desire to see all the girls do well, regardless of which team they were on, was very apparent. He told NSO, “Gary Tyman and I have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to coach many of the girls from both teams and see their skills develop over the years. I congratulate both teams and their coaches for advancing with decisive wins, leaving no doubt who the two best teams in the conference are. I admit that my heart is with the Cloquet team but I still love to see the girls from Esko do great things on the field, even if it is against Cloquet.”

As to who has the edge on Thursday, one would think a look back in history should provide a clue. However, this is the first time these two programs have met in the section finals since the programs split in 2000.

Of the eight previous seasons since the split, Cloquet has participated in the title game six times, winning five (2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, and 2007) and losing the sixth (2008) to Hermantown in a shootout.

In 2005, Esko-Carlton claimed the section championship title and advanced to the state tournament, beating a then-undefeated Two Harbors team in a shootout along the way. Before you give the advantage to Cloquet, keep in mind in the 2002 soccer season, the
#8 seeded
Eskomo team took #1 seed Cloquet to the brink, losing in a shootout. When these two teams get together anything can happen.

More recent history points to an even closer contest on Thursday evening. This year, the two teams split on the regular season, each winning their home contest. The six previous regular season matchups all ended in a tie. Both teams met in the Section 7A semi-finals last year and, you guessed it, played to a tie at the end of regulation and overtime. However, playoff games never end in a tie and Cloquet won in a shootout.

So as to who might win the right to represent Section 7A in this year’s state tournament is
anyone’s guess. However, only two things are certain. First, fans on both sides will, without question, get their $7.00 worth. And second, Section 7A will be in good hands and well represented with whoever wins. As Hagen stated, “there is no doubt who the two best teams in the conference are.” Good luck to both teams.

Wes Vork can be reached at Wes@northlandsportsonline.com