Next stop, state: U-15 soccer girls qualify

Published 12:00 am Friday, July 26, 2002

The Albert Lea U-15 girls’ soccer team took the long road to the Classic 3 state tournament.

Despite going undefeated in regular-season district play at 7-0-3, the locals finished one point out of first place behind 8-0-2 LaCrosse, which earned the league’s automatic state tournament berth.

Albert Lea had one more shot at state, by winning the district tournament, and it came last week via a 1-0 triumph over Rochester at Bloomington.

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The team, which last year played at the Classic 2 level, two years ago finished second in the U-13 Classic 3 state tournament.

The locals are guaranteed three games at state, again hosted by the National Sports Center in Blaine. Albert Lea meets the Dakota Rev on Field M1 at 11 a.m. Saturday, faces Westonka on Field M2 at 11 a.m. Sunday and takes on West Side on field M2 at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The championship game is Saturday, Aug. 3 at 9 a.m. on Field A4.

&uot;It should be fun,&uot; said coach Cliff Wuerflein.

Members of the squad are Staci Armstrong, Tessa Christensen, Acacia Clarambeau, Mary Cook, Carly Habana, Jody Hestness, Katie Kjos, Alyssa Nelson, Ashlee Pence, Kelly Schreiber, Chelsey Schumaker, Christine Staloch, Heidi Stegenga and Brooke Wuerflein. Ashley O’Byrne, who would have played with the squad, has been sidelined after undergoing surgery.

Coach Wuerflein, assisted by Chuck Kjos, said the team was also helped out by some U-14 and U-13 players.

Wuerflein said defense is the strength of the squad.

&uot;We’ve got to where we’re at mainly because of defense,&uot; said the coach. &uot;We can score some goals, but we’ve kept other teams out of the net. And it’s not just the defensive players doing it.

The whole team is playing defense. And we’ve gotten some outstanding goaltending by Acacia Clarambeau and Christine Staloch.&uot;