The dream season came to an end for the Albert Lea Elks U-13 girls’ soccer team.

Tuesday, August 03, 1999

The dream season came to an end for the Albert Lea Elks U-13 girls’ soccer team. The team came true.

The Albert Lea girls won the Minnesota Youth Soccer Association Classic 3 state championship, defeating Cambridge-Isanti 5-2 in Saturday’s title game.

The Elks team, which won its league championship and an automatic berth in the state tourney with a record of 12-0-0, was matched against an equally strong opponent in the title game. Cambridge-Isanti was also 12-0-0 in league play this summer, allowing only four goals to league opponents.

Albert Lea continued to dominate, following a 5-0 quarterfinal victory over Centennial and a 6-0 semifinal triumph over Inver Grove Heights. For the tournament, the locals outscored their opponents 16-2.

The Elks girls established control of the game early against Cambridge-Isanti, taking a 3-0 lead.

Amy Marka scored unassisted for the first goal, followed quickly by a goal from Crystal Rentz, assisted by Emily Bergstrom.

Marka added another unassisted goal before Cambridge-Isanti got on the scoreboard.

Marka went on to register two more goals, for a total of four, with assists going to Mandy Ardolf, Laura Hillman and Crystal Rentz.

The girls received state champion medallions at the awards ceremony.

The coaching staff of Paul Marka, Dennis Bergstrom and Bob Lee agree that becoming state champions is the perfect way to end an unbelievable season. The coaches and players would like to thank the Elks for their sponsorship.

The Elks team, which finished the season 22-3-1, became the first Albert Lea girls’ soccer squad and the second local soccer team to win a state championship.

The rest of the team roster includes Tessa Christensen, Katie Stenseth, Missy Reichl, Kjersten Lee, Nicole Sorensen, Brianne Plantage, Kindall Perea, Sarah Kurth, Hilary Flores, Breanna Miller, Casey Callahan, Breanna Millhouse, Char Everhart, Jenny Hulst and Emily Staloch.