Maple Grove Soccer's Unthinkable Ride

There are no egos on the boys soccer sideline—only a talented group of player who, when given the opportunity, have made good on a magical trip through the 2011 season.

The Crimson entered the fall largely as a group of unknowns. Having graduated virtually all its starters from last year’s squad, this year’s club began its journey with little varsity experience. However it plays out, they will finish this season at the state tournament.

Maple Grove swept through the Section 5AA tournament and will open up the state quarterfinals against unbeaten North St. Paul on Thursday at Roseville Area High School. Game time is set for 5:30 p.m.

“We lost a bunch of really good soccer players that took all the sports for two or three years—they didn’t get the varsity experience they would have gotten in another year or another school,” head coach Gregg Leininger said. “That’s part of it, too. They were waiting for their chance.”

The Crimson (13-4-2) never panicked or questioned their abilities. They simply chased their goal of improving each day through October. Assistant coach Chad Morse said the team has consistently built a belief in itself that culminated in the program’s first state tournament run since 2007.

After a 2-2-1 start, things began to click. Since Sept. 10, the Crimson are 11-2-1 and are currently on a five-game winning streak.

“It’s just hard work,” senior midfielder John Fox said. “We lost 11 guys from last year, so we had to fill it with guys that had never seen the field before. It’s just that hard work that the new guys and the returning guys put in to make it happen.”

By the time Maple Grove reached the section finals against Spring Lake Park, that belief reached its peak. Fox said he had a feeling this Crimson squad was headed to state.

“I just remember before game I was like, ‘This is real, we’re going to win this thing,’” he said. “When the buzzer blew it was an amazing feeling.”

Senior Syndey Robinson said once the team won its first section game, the Crimson felt like something special was happening.

Advancing further won’t be easy. The North High School Polars (18-0-1) are one of two unbeaten teams in Class AA. But Leininger said Maple Grove won’t deviate from what got them to this point. Instead, it will keep working hard and continue its belief in itself.

“Same plan—we’re going to just keep doing what we do,” he said. “We don’t think we’re any better than we were a week ago. We respect all the teams. That’s what we did in the sections. We rolled the dice. We’ll roll the dice again.”