On Saturday, September 28, the Benilde-St. Margaret’s boys’ soccer team defeated Edina 2-0 in an intense matchup between two of the state’s top programs. The Hornets, ranked #1 in class AA, entered the game with a 10-0-3 record. The Red Knights were riding a five-game winning streak with an overall record of 8-2-1, and knew that they had to bring their best effort to come away with a win. “Right away in warmups we were really focused and zoned in. We knew focus would be the key to a strong start,” junior defender Abe Fortier said.

The Red Knights received the start they desperately needed when senior Jonathan Paquette buried the game’s first goal less than 10 minutes in. Less than five minutes later, senior midfielder Jason Sylvestre capitalized on a free kick to widen the Red Knights’ lead to two goals. From there, it was all Andrew Birkeland as the senior goalkeeper made multiple good saves, specifically in the second half, to seal the Red Knight victory. “They really came out strong in the second half and Andrew was able to stop all of their chances. He played really well,” Fortier said.