The Minnewaska Area boys soccer team closed out the season with a 2-0 loss during a cold and blustery day at Prinsburg Central Minnesota Christian School, Thursday night, in the quarterfinal round of the Section 8A Boys Soccer Tourney.  Prinsburg came into the contest as the second seed in its half of the section, while the Lakers were seeded third.  The Bluejays also beat Minnewaska Area earlier this season, 3-0.

“The matchup was a good one for both teams,” Laker coach Ted Hill said.  “Prinsburg is a very athletic team, while we rely on steady defense and timely scoring.”

Prinsburg, which improved to 6-7-1 overall, fell to St. Cloud Cathedral in the semifinals, Saturday, while the Lakers were eliminated for the season, ending the year with a 7-8 overall record.

It was also the last match for Minnewaska Area head coach Ted Hill, who had said earlier this season that he would retire at the end of this season.  He has been the Lakers’ head coach for 27 years since the inception of the program at MAHS in 1996.

Prinsburg 2, Lakers 0

Prinsburg broke a scoreless tie in the first half with two late goals to earn a 2-0 shutout victory over Minnewaska Area, Thursday night at Prinsburg.  Caleb Vogt had both goals for Prinsburg, scoring the game winner in the 68th minute and adding another 11 minutes later.

The Lakers defaulted to their 3-2-3-2 formation while the Jays implemented a more classic 4-4-2 formation.  The midfield numbers for both teams made it difficult for either team to find much traction in the half, according to coach Hill.

“We were seeking a low-scoring match and the low-scoring strategy paid dividends in the first half as both teams remained tied at 0-0 going into the break,” coach Hill said.  “We have had success in most of our matches this season when the match remains a one-goal contest.  Our defenders and midfielders know how to control the pace of play.”

The Lakers outshot the home team 9-4 in the second half, but by pushing the ball up the wings in the second half to try and gain some more offense, the Lakers were susceptible to the counterattack and Vogt made the Lakers pay.

“Vogt is a good athlete and found a half-space between two of our defenders. We turned the ball over at midfield and they pushed the ball forward rapidly and Vogt did the rest,” coach Hill said.  

The Lakers came close to answering back in the 20th minute of the second half when Aaron Feigum rifled a shot off the left upright and they got a second chance to tie up the match at the 27-minute mark when an effort by Genaro Contreras Mondragon caromed off the right upright.

“Their keeper made some point-blank saves on shots from Feigum and Blake Nelson late in the match,” coach Hill said.  “We played well enough to earn a win or a tie.  We had chances in the second half and unfortunately for us, we just couldn’t get the ball into the net.”

Tenzin Dahl was in net for the Lakers, but total shots by either team were not available.

at Prinsburg 2, Lakers 0

Minnewaska (7-8) 0 0 — 0

Prinsburg (6-7-1) 0 2 — 2

First half:  No scoring

Second half:  (1) Prins-Caleb Vogt, 68th minute . . . (2) Prins-Vogt (Ayden Ledeboer-Martinez), 79th minute

Shots on goal:  Minnewaska NA, Prinsburg NA

Goalie saves:  Tenzin Dahl, Min NA; Josh Nelson, Prinsburg NA