Trojans’ boys soccer title chance ends in a shootout

Any soccer player, coach or fan will tell you that the toughest way to end a season is a shootout loss.

That was the case for the Wayzata side in the Section 6AAA Tournament boys semifinals Oct. 15 at Wayzata High Stadium. The Lake Conference rivals each scored one goal in 80 minutes of regulation time, with sophomore George Soeffker giving Wayzata a 1-0 lead and a goal late in the second half by Hopkins senior Sawyer Shelton tying the score. After neither team scored in 20 minutes of overtime, the match went to a shootout, with Hopkins finally winning [2-1] for the right to play Minneapolis Washburn in the finals Oct. 17.

How close was this match? Well, even the shootout went into overtime. By Minnesota State High School League rules, each team selected five shooters and a goalkeeper. In case the outcome was not decided by those first 10 shooters, each team selected five additional shooters.

Shooters ruled on the first six shots. Jeremy Cordeiro, Brett Rexine and Aiden Judickas converted for Wayzata while Henry Risser, Owen Hutto and Shelton scored for Hopkins.

The fourth shooters on each side were turned away on goalie saves from Hopkins’ Nick Messerli and Wayzata’s Brett Rexine, so the pressure was immense when the fifth shooters came to the penalty spot. Center back Reid Bohlsen banged in a shot for Wayzata and Hopkins’ Marley Vaye responded in kind. Then Wayzata’s Matthew Bernik and Hopkins’ Calvin Pettygrove made their kicks.

Messerli dove to save the next Wayzata shot, leaving the match at the feet of Hopkins senior captain Isaac Sanders, who sent a laser into the corner of the cage.

Hopkins players raced off the field to bond with their fans in the bleachers. Several Wayzata players fell to the ground, but not for long. The Trojans were ready for the handshake line when the Royals returned to the field.

“Whether we got the result or not, I am proud of our team, especially their character,” Wayzata head coach Dominic Duenas said. “We asked them to compete for 80 minutes every game, and I loved our effort.”

For the first time this season, Wayzata didn’t have a corner kick during regulation time. “But we got three of them in overtime,” Duenas pointed out.

The second overtime almost ended with a Trojan victory, but in a scramble in front of the Hopkins cage, Messerli came up with the biggest save of his career. He was lying on top of the soccer ball as the final buzzer sounded.

Wayzata ended the 2024 season with a 13-3-1 record. The Trojans’ bid for a state title repeat ended on their home turf.

While the loss was devastating and will be hard to forget for a while, the Trojans will graduate only six boys from the 2024 roster. Two of those players are captains - starting goalie Rexine and the leading scorer, Judickas. The other seniors are Bernik, Ansh Khosa, John Kim and Everett Nguyen. Wayzata’s potential nucleus for the 2025 season revolves around eight returning starters.