After advancing through the regional playoff round of the D4 WIAA soccer playoffs a few weeks ago, the Northland Pines varsity soccer team earned a state tournament berth with two sectional wins last week, including a come-from-behind victory over Arcadia in the sectional final last Saturday.

Northland Pines used a three-goal second half to beat Arcadia 3-1 to advance to the state tournament for the eighth time in school history.

Starting with Saturday’s battle of the No. 1 seeds in the sectional final, both teams battled Mother Nature. Constant rain poured down on the pitch during the first half. Northland Pines controlled the ball in their attacking third for much of the first 10 minutes, but Arcadia’s pressure evened things out before the Raiders capitalized on a cross in the middle of the box and a shot that beat goalkeeper Easton Otto around the 10-minute mark. From there, Pines played catch-up and had most of the chances on net in the first 40 minutes but trailed 0-1 at the break.

What transpired in the second half was due to the adjustments made in the halftime huddle by Coach Jamie Remme and his staff and the belief they have as a team.

“During halftime, we talked about how we came from behind in both games against Lakeland and won. We were playing well, and the match wasn’t over; we were going to come out even stronger in the second half,” Remme said.

The Eagles dominated possession for basically the whole second half and clamped down defensively, allowing Arcadia no breathing room.

Possession turned into a goal-scoring chance early out of halftime, when Tyler Vojta found the equalizer in the 47th minute. With momentum on their side, the Eagles never let go of it. A few minutes later, sophomore Simon Adamovich made a crossover move from his right foot to his left and fired a line drive shot past the outstretched hand of the Arcadia keeper to give Pines a 2-1 lead around the 50th minute.

About 10 minutes later, Northland Pines got its third and final goal off a corner kick to give them enough cushion to run the clock to zero for roughly the last 20 minutes. Senior Jackson Olejniczak was credited with the goal.

“We were already playing very well, but once we scored the first goal, it really ignited the entire team. Then, with the quick second goal, it really amplified our energy, confidence and composure. The last 30 minutes of the game, we were in our offensive third most of the time, pressing them,” Remme mentioned. “I am super proud of the resilience of our boys and the mental toughness they have demonstrated during these increasingly competitive matches.”

How they got there

The Eagles got one last chance this season to play in Eagle River last Thursday in the sectional semifinal match. With a packed sideline full of supporters for both teams, Northland Pines woke the home crowd early.
Senior Sam Shrock got the game’s first goal two minutes in on a cool sequence. Shrock headed in the goal, but senior Tyler Vojta also headed in the assist.

The one-goal lead held until late in the first half, when the Eagles capitalized on another scoring opportunity. Junior Dechlan Favorite used his ball-handling skills to find space in the middle of the field and ripped a shot from about 20 yards out that beat Amery’s goalkeeper for a 2-0 lead in the 30th minute. The Eagles took that two-goal advantage into halftime.

“The boys played a really good match both offensively and defensively. They kept their focus on their job and what each needed to do to maintain control of the match,” Northland Pines Head Coach Jamie Remme said after the sectional-semifinal win.

Grade-A scoring chances continued in the second half, including a shot from the left wing by Olejniczak that deflected off the hand of the Amery keeper and off the crossbar before the Warriors cleared.

Adamovich broke the scoreless second half in the 70th minute. He followed up a shot by one of his Eagles’ teammates that was initially saved and cleaned up the rebound to make it a 3-0 lead. The Eagles finished the final 10 minutes to secure the shutout victory.

Northland Pines secured the No. 2 seed at the WIAA State Soccer Tournament and will face No. 3-seeded Cristo Rey Jesuit in the semifinal match on Friday, Nov. 6, at 1:30 p.m. The championship game will be on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 4:30 p.m.