UPDATED: Stillwater Finishes Third in Boys 2AA State Soccer Tournament

The Ponies took third place in the Minnesota 2A Boys State Soccer Tournament Tuesday with a 3-0 win over Bloomington Jefferson.

According to a game recap by the Minnesota State High School League website:

Junior midfielder Jared Allan netted the Ponies first goal after he tapped in a through ball from junior midfielder Nathan Purdie.

Allan added an insurance goal—his second of the match—at 36:11 with another tap-in from a cross by senior forward Patrick Roth.

The Ponies went up 3-0 with a goal from forward Sam Rasmussen off of a pass from Purdie.

All 11 starters and five substitutes played in the match. The Ponies goalkeepers, Ben Wilhelm and Vince Anderson, pitched a dual shutout with a combined six saves.

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UPDATED FROM:

The No. 3-seeded Eastview beat the No. 2-seeded Stillwater 3-1 Monday night at the dome in the Boys Class 2A Semifinals.

Eastview (14-2-5) led 2-0 at the half. Eastview goalkeeper Kyle Lamott made just three saves in the half and for the match.

Eastview senior midfielder Jacob Opheim opened the scoring at 25:20 after taking a long throw-in from junior defender Sam Fluegge and heading it past Stillwater Area goalkeeper Ben Wilhelm.

Junior forward Pierce Erickson was credited with the second goal, unassisted, with his shot from just inside the penalty box at 38:53. Erickson scored his second goal of the game at 46:55, another header from a long cross from senior defender Jonathan Lenz.

Stillwater (15-2-4) avoided the shutout when senior midfielder Roma Devine drilled a penalty kick following a foul in the box.

The Lightning will play Blaine in the finals. Stillwater plays Bloomington Jefferson in the third place game.

Click here to see the box score.

Click here to see a play-by-play recap.

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UPDATED FROM:

For lack of a better descriptor, it’s been a “fairy-tale season” for the Stillwater boys soccer team.

The Ponies advanced to the final four in the Class AA State Tournament with a 2-1 win over Owatonna Thursday night in St. Cloud.

That means the second-seeded Ponies will head to the Metrodome on Monday night to play third-seeded Eastview. The game starts at 6 p.m. The playoff run comes on the last stretch of coach Phil Johnson’s storied 33-year career.

Matt Lagus scored the Ponies first goal of the night on a pass in from Sam Rasmussen. Rasmussen then scored the second goal of the night on an assist from Patrick Roth.

Owatonna broke up the Ponies shutout bid by scoring with 20 seconds left in the game.

Blaine upset top-seeded Champlain Park and moves on to play Bloomington Jefferson in the other Class AA semifinal game.

RELATED: Click here to see the game summary.

Click here to read the Stillwater Gazette’s full game recap.

Boys Class AA State Soccer Tournament Bracket

Tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for students

Stillwater Ponies Media Guide

The Ponies won the Section 4AA title and were ranked No. 3 in the final coaches poll. Stillwtaer makes its 16th tournament appearance. The Ponies won state championships in 1995 and 1996.

The Ponies were led by senior Patrick Roth’s 15 goals and 11 assists this year. Senior keeper Ben Wilhelm played in every game and gave up only 11 goals with a 0.89 save percentage. Stillwater Area averaged 2.42 goals per game while holding their opponents to 0.57.

At the State Soccer Tournament Banquet on Sunday, the Minnesota State High School Soccer Coaches Association named Stillwater senior midfielder Roma Devine and attacker Patrick Roth to the all-state team. Senior goaltender Ben Wilhelm was named to the honorable mention squad.

Phil Johnson was named Minnesota Coach of the Year.