BLAINE – When the Albert Lea U-12 girls’ soccer team moved up a level this season, the players were told not to be too disappointed if they didn’t win a game.

Thursday, August 02, 2001

BLAINE – When the Albert Lea U-12 girls’ soccer team moved up a level this season, the players were told not to be too disappointed if they didn’t win a game.

They haven’t been.

In 16 regular-season and tournament games, Albert Lea lost twice and gave up only five goals. The girls won the Burnsville Fire Tournament and the South District Championship – but they won’t be playing for the state championship.

The Elks team split its weekend games at the National Sports Center in Blaine and did not have enough points to advance to the finals even with a victory in its final state tournament game Friday against West District champ St. Louis Park.

The locals faced their toughest opponent of the season to open the state tourney, falling 3-0 to Champlin-Dayton. While Albert Lea had the top defense in the stat, allowing two goals in 14 games, the Rebels had a tough, disciplined offense and excellent skills.

It was 1-0 at halftime, though Albert Lea nearly matched it when a shot bounced off the cross bar. The Rebels scored in the second half on a broken play in front of the net, adding a goal on a penalty kick.

The Elks then dominated Brainerd by a much larger margin than the 1-0 final score indicated.

From the opening whistle, Albert Lea began a steady assault on the Brainerd goal. Every girl on the offense had a scoring opportunity, though each was turned away by the Brainerd goalie. The lone score came late in the first half, when Cara Thorn knocked in a rebound.

The Albert Lea defense completely shut down the Brainerd offense, rarely allowing the opponents past midfield with the ball.

&uot;The Champlin game was the biggest challenge we had all season,&uot; said head coach Greg Wilson. &uot;We played good soccer, but they clearly showed us what we need to work on to make the state finals next year. We are still one of the best teams, but to advance farther, it will take hard work for the girls and the continued support of their parents. With commitment, we can be even better, putting the state finals within reach.&uot;