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Girls' top games: Benilde-St. Margaret's hosts Wayzata in possible postseason preview

By Brendan O'Brien, SportsEngine, 05/01/23, 10:15AM CDT

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May 8: The Red Knights and Trojans have met in the last two section 5A championships.


Photo by SportsEngine

We task our reporters with identifying several intriguing games throughout the state to assemble our Top Games of the Week. The matchups are presented in no particular order, and when there are additional games we want to highlight, we’ll include them with brief notes.

Wayzata vs. Benilde-St.Margaret's

7 p.m., Monday, May 8

The last two section 5A championships between Wayzata (5-1) and Benilde-St. Margaret’s (5-0) have been decided by a total of three goals, and this regular season matchup could determine section tournament seeding and be a preview of what is to come late in the season.

The Trojans are looking to get revenge on the Red Knights after losing in both the 2022 and 2021 section title matchups. In fact, Wayzata with a win on May 8 would break a four-game losing skid to Benilde-St. Margaret's. 

To start out its quest to break through to the Class 1A state tournament, Wayzata won five straight games but now has a challenging schedule upcoming. After suffering its first loss of the season in a 10-7 game against No. 9 Blake on April 29, the Trojans have two more games against ranked opponents before traveling to play the Red Knights.

Look for senior attack Katie Sikorski (21 points in five games) to be a key factor on offense and the Wayzata defense (13 forced turnovers per game) to force its opponent into uncomfortable situations

While the Trojans are looking to breakthrough and win a section crown, the Red Knights have their sights on that and more after placing third in the state tournament last year.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s, ranked No. 4 in the April 24 coaches poll, has dominated in three games while also beating No. 10 Eden Prairie on April 14 and No. 9 Blake on April 25. Throughout the early portion of the season, the Red Knights have won with both a strong offense and defense.

Junior attack Maggie Graczyk is fourth in the state in goals (24) and points (32), while the team also has a .618 save percentage. Wayzata will not be the only team coming off a difficult stretch in the schedule, as Benilde-St. Margaret’s takes on defending state champion Lakeville South on May 5.


Centennial vs. Robbinsdale Armstrong

7 p.m., Wednesday, May 3

A Northwest Suburban Conference battle between two top teams in the standings should feature a powerful offense in Robbinsdale Armstrong (4-0) and a stout defense in Centennial (4-1).

Centennial came up short in the Class 1A, Section 7 championship game in 2022, but the Cougars have started off 2023 with hopes of having another successful season. The team also hopes to breakthrough as the top team in its conference after finishing second at 10-2 last season and in the top three in the standings every season since 2018.

Centennial currently sits in fourth behind three conference unbeatens, but a road win over Robbinsdale Armstrong would help the Cougars play catchup. In order to beat the Falcons, the Cougars likely will rely on its strong defensive play.

Since losing 11-6 to Maple Grove on April 13 to start the season, Centennial has allowed just 2.25 goals per game in its last four games. The Cougars will also need senior midfielder Ella O’Hearn (15 goals, 16 assists) to facilitate the offense to keep pace with the Falcons.

Robbinsdale Armstrong has yet to win a Northwest Suburban Conference title, but the Falcons are off to a fast start with four wins over conference foes to begin the season. The team has primarily won with its offense, scoring an average of 14.75 goals per game, good for seventh best in the state.

Balanced by four players with at least 10 points thus far, Robbinsdale Armstrong is led in goals by senior midfielder Clare Sondrall with 11. The Falcons also find ways to get scoring opportunities, averaging about 24.5 shots on goal per game.

The revenge factor is also in play for Robbinsdale Armstrong, having last beaten Centennial in 2017. A win for the Falcons would not only end the four-game losing streak to the Cougars, but also help them remain atop the conference standings.


Eden Prairie vs. Buffalo

7 p.m., Friday, May 5

This Lake Conference matchup features two teams in Eden Prairie (2-3) and Buffalo (4-2) heading in opposite directions to start 2023.

In order to get the season back on track with little margin for error, a road win over the Bison is looking more and more necessary for the Eagles. As the No. 10 team in the Week 1 rankings, Eden Prairie has lost three games to ranked foes, and the schedule does not ease up. The Eagles are set to play three straight games against other top 10 teams in Minnetonka, Prior Lake and Blake, but before that they will need to get past Buffalo to do so.

In the team’s two wins, Eden Prairie has played well offensively, averaging 16.5 goals. Senior midfielder Brinley Hopper leads the Eagles with 18 points, and the team will likely need its offense to play well if they are to beat Buffalo, with its defense allowing 10.8 goals per game.

After struggling in the two seasons its been in the Lake Conference, Buffalo has been an early season surprise. The Bison have not had a winning record since the 2019 season when they went 11-1, but they are looking to ride the early season momentum to a home win over a top-ranked team in Eden Prairie.

Senior attack Ellie Toussaint started off well with 20 goals and six assists, and defensively Buffalo has been leaning on freshman goalie Rory Meyer, who has a .673 save percentage. Despite the upswing, the Bison still have had little success in the Lake Conference, currently 0-2 this year with a 2-10 combined record over the last two seasons. A win over the Eagles would continue the strong start to the season while applying pressure to a top team for the remainder of the season.


Other games to keep an eye on

Southwest Christian vs. Delano/Rockford, 6:45 p.m., Monday, May 8. After an early exit in the Class 1A, Section 2 playoffs last season, Southwest Christian (6-0) is off to a strong start behind sophomore midfielder Gisella Harder, who is tied for most points in the state with 37. Delano/Rockford (2-2), however, is looking to end the Stars’ win streak after falling 12-9 April 20. A win for Southwest Christian would give the team a boost in the Wright County Conference and section standings, while a win for Delano/Rockford would help the team play catchup in both.

Rosemount vs. Farmington, 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 2. In four of five matchups this season, Rosemount (3-2) has found itself in a tight game. The No. 8-ranked Irish are 2-2 in those matchups, with both losses coming by one goal. Farmington (3-2) looks to move up the South Suburban Conference standings and could do so by beating Rosemount for the first time since 2018. A win over the Irish would also be the Tigers’ first against a ranked opponent this season, but they will likely need to slow down sophomore midfielder Aubrey Zaun (15 goals) to do so.


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