After losing 12 seniors last year, the BSM girls soccer team ended up surprising many people by making it to state. This season required lots of trial and error. After many different formations were tested, the girls were able to find the one that worked best for them in time for sections and state.

With a season record of 14-5-3, the girls soccer team ended up placing third in the state tournament. “It was a really cool experience to play at the US Bank Stadium because it was unlike anything I’ve ever done. It was just really cool to be there,” junior Paige Perry said.

This season was a fresh start for the girls team. Since they lost their whole starting lineup, many people didn’t think they would have a successful season. The coaches had to put in a lot of work to figure out the right way to make this new team work and use all their individual strengths to their advantage. “It was a lot of both the head coach and I putting in a lot of hours on film and figuring out who should go where… it was different than knowing exactly what we had coming into the season,” Coach Callie Olson said.

While the team had a different dynamic this year than others, Olson enjoyed seeing the players establish their own culture as a team. “I think for the first time in a long time, every girl on the team felt like they had a place on the team and a voice on the team, and it was just a really positive environment,” Olson said.

Each year, the team takes an overnight trip to Duluth. They stay overnight, go out to dinner, and play a game. They finish off the trip by taking pictures by the lake. This year, the team bonded a lot on the trip and really enjoyed the experience. “I think that my favorite memory was probably the overnight trips to St Cloud and to Duluth. It was really fun to bond with the team and just be with all my friends,” Perry said.

After a successful season, players and coaches are already thinking about next year. “It was a really good learning experience and the girls are really ready for next year because they know what it takes to get there, and they know how it feels to lose in the bank,” Olson said.