It would be fair to say that Irondale runs its offense through Maddie Hentges. 

The junior midfielder has accounted for more than half of the Knights’ playoff goals, including finishing with nine to lead No. 3 seed Irondale in an 11-9 upset victory over No. 2 seed Roseville in a Section 5 semifinal game Friday at Roseville Area High School.

Hentges has been impressive, totalling 13 of the Knights’ 22 postseason goals. But her offensive prowess hasn’t been limited to the playoffs. 

Hentges was responsible for 47 percent of Irondale’s regular-season goals and finished with 61, which was tied for second-most in the state. 

“Maddie is a very skilled shooter,” Irondale coach Wendy Frantz said after Friday’s win. 

After a promising sophomore season, Hentges really showed off her skilled shooting during her junior year when she totalled 32 goals in 14 games.

“She sees the net, and she’s a three-season athlete,” Frantz added. “She’s amazing.”

Amazing could be an understatement. 

Throughout the game, Hentges slithered and shoveled her way through the Roseville defense to creating scoring chances for herself and her teammates.

And when the game came down to its final moments, Hentges was at her best. 

Hentges not only tied the game with 31 seconds remaining in regulation, but also scored the game-winning goal with just 55 seconds to play in the second half of overtime. 

Despite shouldering the scoring load this season, Hentges doesn’t accept credit for the Knights’ success and is quick to point out that Irondale relies primarily on senior goaltender Rebekah Sinn. 

“We put all our hope in (Rebekah),” Hentges said. 

Frantz agreed, saying that the Knights have come to expect clutch performances from Sinn, who ended the regular season with a 10-2 record and a .542 save percentage. 

“We always have big games out of our goaltender,” Frantz said with a smile. 

Sinn didn’t disappoint, shutting down a Raiders’ offense featuring three players who scored 25 or more goals this season. Sinn made several key saves in overtime to keep Roseville off the scoreboard. 

Sinn said that defeating the Raiders was sweet, considering Irondale lost to Roseville 13-11 in the regular-season finale on May 15. 

However, Frantz said winning the postseason rematch did not add to the emotions following the win. 

“It didn’t matter who it was tonight,” Frantz said. “(In) single elimination, it doesn’t matter.”

Irondale is still alive and has a date with top seed Robbinsdale Armstrong in the Section 5 championship game. Frantz said she could not be more proud of her team for reaching the finals. 

“I’m so happy for them,” she said. “They worked so darn hard. They earned this.”

Junior midfielder Maddie Hentges scored nine goals, including the game-winner in the second half of overtime, to lead No. 3 seed Irondale past No. 2 seed Roseville 11-9 in the Section 5 semifinals Friday night at Roseville Area High School. 

Hentges tied the game with 31 seconds left in regulation, scored the winning goal with 55 seconds left in overtime and added an insurance goal 24 seconds later to secure the victory for the Irondale (7-7). Senior forward Rachel McConnell scored twice in regulation for the Knights. 

Junior forward Ciara Colvard led Roseville (6-8) with four goals, while freshman midfielder Ellie Peine and senior forward Danielle Lucker scoring two goals apiece. Junior forward Allyson Reilly also scored for the Raiders. 

With the win, Irondale moves on to face top-seeded Robbinsdale Armstrong in the Section 5 finals June 3 at Osseo High School.

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