Despite difficult COVID restrictions, the BSM girls’ soccer team persevered and ended their regular season with a 9-1-1 record.

This record makes the team the 2020 Conference Champions for the third year in a row. They beat Chaska in an intense final game and had a big win against Blake earlier in the season. “The most exciting win was against Blake in the beginning of the season. Blake has always been our biggest rival, and it is the best feeling when we beat them. We won the game with around two minutes left, and it was an absolute blast,” junior Sydney Drees said.

Part of the reason the team is so successful is because of the cohesive dynamic. With only three new players, the team knows each other well and is comfortable playing together. “This year’s team was special because of how talented and close we are. A lot of us have been playing together for a couple of years now and it makes us play well together. We are all friends and get along well,” Drees said.

As they head into sections, the team is going to use their strong record and bond to do well in their post season games. Since they had a successful season, they are seeded number 1 for sections, which gives them the home-field advantage for the section tournament. “Home field is a big advantage to our team especially because we have a really big and wide field, so it tires the other teams out quick. It also obviously helps that we practice on it every day,” senior captain Alli Voss said.

Voss is up for the prestigious Ms. Soccer Award. Each year, there are five Class 1A senior girls chosen for this award. By October 31, one of these girls will be chosen for this award. The award is meant to honor the top players in the state, and it is usually awarded at the state banquet. This year, there may be a Zoom call or other virtual ceremony announcing the winner. Voss was chosen based on her excellent playing during the season. “I feel honored to receive this award,” Voss said.

Even with the unusual season layout this year, the team was still able to participate in unique bonding activities that brought the team closer on and off the field. “We had a couple pasta dinners at [senior captain] Annie [Golinvaux]’s house where we had chairs in a circle around her pool that were six feet apart. Those were fun because it was a good time to spend time with the team outside of soccer,” Voss said

COVID-19 has made this soccer season difficult in a number of ways. The team was not able to play as many of their usual opponents, such as Orono and Holy Angels. “The people we were able to play was significantly limited…we weren’t really able to test our limits as a team against opponents we know are markers for us,” Assistant Coach Callianne Olson said.

To avoid quarantining and missing out on games, the team adheres to strict restrictions to limit their exposure to each other. Team members place their bags six feet apart, wear masks before and after practices and games, and are especially conscientious about staying home if they had any symptoms or contact with COVID. Drills were re-examined to be sure that the girls never participated in any one drill for more than fifteen minutes to limit contact. “[These procedures are] one of the reasons why we made it as far as we did into the season without any massive outbreak or cases,” Olson said.

For the first time, a state girls’ soccer tournament will not be held. In a typical season, the team would be able to compete in a state championship against their toughest rivals. For many of the older players, not competing at state was especially difficult. “It’s extremely disappointing because our team has so much talent this year. We definitely would’ve had a good chance of winning state… Also, many of us have been on the team for a couple of years now and have been wanting to win a state tournament,” junior Ashtyn Lowenberg said.

After winning their section quarterfinal game against Columbia Heights with a score of 12-0, the team will play their final section game against Breck on Thursday at 7:45 at the National Sports Center.