COLD SPRING, Minn. — It was 35 minutes of scoreless soccer between Sartell and Rocori before junior midfielder and captain Natalie Koltes broke the silence with a penalty kick to the top right corner in the fifth-minute of the first half to give the Sabres a halftime advantage.
The game plan for Sartell head coach Andrea Benninghoff was simple: move the ball quick.
Her Sabres did just that. They outshot the Spartans early and often, getting eight more shots up at half to keep junior goalie Ally Terwey plenty busy.
“It was a very good, competitive game,” Benninghoff said. “Our girls knew that they had to come in strong from the start, move the ball fast and they really connected tonight”
Coming out in the second half, senior forward Mollie Statsick broke free in the 36th-minute to take control of the game 2-0 and hold on for the win.
As the second half matured, the Spartans kept the pressure on and started to get more shots up, coming up just short every time eighth grader Jasmine Perez would win a foot race down the pitch for an attempt at goal.
“Mya [Ramirez] came up huge,” Benninghoff said. “She played a big part in the game today. We knew we had to move the ball fast because Rocori’s quick, and they double teamed or triple teamed very fast. Our defensive line with Mya did really well keeping it a shutout.”
Rocori had won five of its last six games heading into the match against Sartell, but coach Grant Johnson felt his team came out slow to start the game.
“We got that first shot attempt to start the game, and then kind of backed away,” Johnson said. “The goal right before half hurt, and then the second goal is always tough to come back from. I felt the girls battled all the way the rest of the second half and gave a good fight. If we see them again later on in the year, it’s something to build off.”
As both teams settle into the midst of the season and build towards sectionals, Benninghoff hopes her squad continues to build their confidence after a hard-fought win.
“We’ve made a lot of strides,” Benninghoff said. “It was a rocky start in the beginning. It’s a very young team with a new dynamic, and they have a lot of confidence in each other. It’s just taking the time [to grow], and we said we have to take it one day at a time. They have the dedication to it and are continually working together; I think they want it more because they know they can do it.”
Statsick is one of three seniors on the team, accompanied by fellow captain’s midfielder Hayvenn Schroeder and defender Hawa Schmidt.
The trio is looking to bring the Sabres back to the state tournament, but in the meantime, they have six more games until sectionals.
“We’ll keep building; we’ll keep working,” Benninghoff said. “I’m super proud of that.”
Sartell is back in action at home against Fergus Falls on Sept. 24. Rocori plays at Apollo on Sept. 29.
You can reach St. Cloud Times sports reporter David Jacobs and send story ideas to djacobs@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @davidrjacobs10.
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Sartell girl’s soccer outlasts Rocori, builds confidence in young roster
