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Burnsville girls edge Lakeville South, retain conference lead

By Ryan Williamson, SportsEngine , 09/21/17, 10:45AM CDT

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Rachel Waterman’s pair of second-half goals kept the Blaze in the South Suburban driver's seat.


Burnsville eighth grader Erika Leeman (20) jumped to block a free kick during the second half of the Blaze's 3-2 victory over visiting Lakeville South. Photo by Mark Hvidsten, SportsEngine



Burnsville's Rachel Waterman scored on a penalty kick in the late minutes of the second half. It was her second goal of the evening. Photo by Mark Hvidsten, SportsEngine

If you want a look into how close things are for the girls’ soccer teams in the South Suburban Conference, look no further than Thursday’s match between Burnsville and Lakeville South.

At the halfway point of the second half, the Cougars were well on their way to a win against Blaze. In the 61st minute, Rachel Waterman took over. The senior midfielder tied the game at two with a long strike from the edge of the box.

Minutes later, Waterman had a chance to give her team the lead when the Cougars committed a handball in the box. Waterman buried her penalty shot attempt and gave Burnsville a 3-2 win.

Waterman’s late push helped the Blaze stay undefeated in conference play. Both Burnsville and Lakeville South are in a loaded conference that features some of the state’s girls’ soccer powers.

Coming into the match, the Blaze, who are No. 7 in the Class 2A coaches’ poll, had shown itself as a team that could score. Burnsville is averaging 3.64 goals per game this season.

But early on, the Blaze (9-2, 5-0) struggled to score on the staunch Cougar defense. Lakeville South struck first in the 11th minute when Burnsville sophomore goalie Kailey Rahier was out of the net and sophomore forward Sammy Ponsonby took advantage and scored her first goal of the season.

Blaze junior midfielder Kira Sosinske provided Burnsville with a spark after she scored from a shot outside the box late in the first half. The trend of shooting from long range was evident from the Blaze throughout the match again when Waterman tied the game in the second half.

“[The Cougars] were leaving the top of the box open,” Waterman said. “I had the defender beat, so I turned to my left and took a shot.”

Ultimately, the match came down to the late handball committed by Lakeville South (7-3, 3-2). While it appeared to be an unlucky bounce that went off a Cougar defender’s hand, it gave Waterman and Burnsville the chance to come home with the win.

Waterman admitted after the match she felt the magnitude of the situation. Coming into the match, she had just three goals this season.

“I was definitely nervous,” Waterman said. “I just had to go to my teammates. They were there to give me that encouragement I needed.”

Waterman was calm enough to find the back of the net and give her team the lead for good. But for Blaze coach John Soderholm, the game wasn’t over until the final whistle.

“I was nervous until the very, very end,” Soderholm said. “They were continuing to counter. It definitely wasn’t in the bag until time ran out.”

Unfortunately for the Cougars, the late-game situation felt a bit like déjà vu. This is the second time this season Lakeville South has lost a match where the winning goal came on a penalty shot after the Cougars committed a handball in the box.

“It’s a good learning opportunity,” said Lakeville South coach Olivia Bagnall. “It’s super hard. We felt like we controlled the game. It’s unfair, but it’s what happens in the game of soccer.”

The loss deals a tough blow to the Cougars’ chances at the conference championship. Lakeville South now trails Burnsville by six points and Eagan by three.

This season has been another strong one for the Cougars. After finishing well behind conference champion Lakeville North, Lakeville South has kept itself near the top of the standings and defeated Rosemount, the 2016 Class 2A runner-up, earlier this season.

The Blaze have also been on the upswing. After going 7-8-1 in 2016, Burnsville has kept pace with perennial power Eagan at the top of the South Suburban standings. The Blaze and Cougars have shaken up a South Suburban Conference that has normally featured the likes of the Eagan and Lakeville North at the top.

“I’ve never seen a season where the conference title hasn’t come down to the final game,” Soderholm said. “There are high quality teams throughout this conference. We’re playing good teams every night.”

Soderholm’s words prove to be particularly true when it comes to his team’s upcoming schedule. Burnsville’s next match is against the No. 5-2A Wildcats. That is followed home games against Eastview and No. 10-2A Stillwater.

“This next week will be tough,” Soderholm said. “But it will likely settle who’s going to end up as conference champions.”

But if Soderholm’s proclamation holds true, we might have to wait a few weeks before knowing will finish as the South Suburban’s best.

First Report

A pair of second-half goals from Burnsville senior midfielder Rachel Waterman gave the Blaze a 3-2 South Suburban Conference win against Lakeville South at Bob Pates Stadium on Thursday night.

Waterman’s first goal tied the game at two when she scored on a long shot from outside the box in the 61st minute.

Her second goal of the match came via a penalty shot in the 67th minute, giving the Blaze, who are ranked No. 7 in the Class 2A coaches’ poll, their first lead of the night. The shot came due to a handball in the box committed by the Cougars.

Lakeville South (7-3, 3-2) held the lead for much of the game. The Cougars got on the board 11 minutes in when sophomore forward Sammy Ponsonby picked up her first goal of the season after taking advantage of an open net.

Senior forward Bianca Biffert, who leads the Cougars in scoring this season with 10 goals, netted the Cougars’ second goal in the 53rd minute.

Despite giving up two goals, Burnsville (9-2, 5-0) sophomore goalie Kailey Rahier had 11 saves in the match. Junior midfielder Kira Sosinske had the Blaze’s other goal when she got the home team on the board with a long shot in the 33rd minute.

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