St. Francis ends its second-ever trip to state at 13-3-2. The Fighting Saints made their tournament debut in 2021 and finished this year as Mississippi 8 conference champs, with nine shutouts from senior goalkeeper Emerson Markas. A Division 1 softball commit heading to South Dakota State, Markas tried soccer for the first time this year and posted a 0.85 goals against average.
Mankato East 3, St. Cloud Tech 1: Senior forward Taylor Schilling scored the first two goals as the Cougars (16-2-2) won their 11th consecutive game, beating the Tigers (15-4-1). Teammate sophomore Jillian Borgmeier added a second-half goal. Senior forward Molly Burkstrand, the state’s single-season record holder for goals, scored her 62nd of the season for the Tigers.
Esko 0, St. Cloud Cathedral 0, OT (Esko wins shootout 3-2): No. 7-rated Esko (14-3-1) advanced to the semifinals, winning the shootout against the No. 6-ranked Crusaders (14-5-1) after the two teams played to a scoreless tie.
