Esko-Carlton falls in state Class A girls soccer quarterfinals

ST. CLOUD -- By the time Katyanna Emanuel entered the game, Esko-Carlton's chances of reaching the Metrodome were gone.

But the few minutes the senior defender was able to run on the artificial turf at St. Cloud State were gratifying nonetheless.

"It was nice to get back out there after being out for a month," said Emanuel, who tore ligaments and severely sprained her right ankle in a game against Duluth East on Sept. 21 and hadn't participated since. "I'm just glad we made it to state."

Esko-Carlton's first high school girls soccer state tournament experience in six years -- and second overall -- came to an end in a 2-0 loss to third-seeded Rochester Lourdes on Wednesday night in a Minnesota Class A quarterfinal.

Senior forward Hannah Anderson knocked in a rebound for her 17th goal 4:47 into the game to give the Eagles (18-1-1) a cushion they protected until Emily Glynn's 75th-minute goal sealed it.

"It was good for our kids to come down and see that we can play with these teams," Eskomos coach Nicole Peterson said. "It's good for them to see teams like (Lourdes) aren't that much different than us."

Lourdes advances to play Blake, a 4-0 winner over Bemidji, in a semifinal at noon Monday at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. The Eskomos finished 13-6-1.

Anderson drove home one of several rebound attempts to give Lourdes the early advantage.

"When you score early in a game, it gives you momentum," said junior forward Marisa Shady, who will try to defend her Section 7A cross country title today. "They got their momentum rolling right away and we got off to a slow start. I think it was mostly just being at state, a little bit of nerves maybe. But after about 10 minutes, we got rolling and had our chances. I thought we stayed with them the whole game."

Esko-Carlton nearly equalized twice in the final minutes of the first half via star striker Caitlin Lilly. Lilly, who has 23 goals this season and 44 the past two years, drove a shot from about 30 yards that goalkeeper Marissa DeCecco tipped over the crossbar, then flicked a crossing pass wide left with 30 seconds left.

"I think we were on our heels to start the game; that's probably why that goal happened," Peterson said. "It's a big stage and the kids haven't been here, so it took us a while to get started. I'm happy that after that happened, they started playing instead of sinking back even further. I'm proud of them hanging in the rest of the game."

Kailee Katt's free kick that grazed the top of the crossbar with 34:00 left was one of the few quality chances the Eskomos had in the second half.

Peterson pulled a defender for an attacker late, leading to Glynn netting her 13th goal of the season on an individual move atop the penalty area. Her drive went past the outstretched fingertips of goalie Rachel Ofstie and into the right corner.

"I'd rather go down trying than settle (for a 1-0 loss)," Peterson said.

That led to Peterson inserting the remainder of her 13 seniors, including Emanuel, who had spent countless hours rehabilitating in the chance of playing one more game.

"I tried to stay positive and kept working hard to get back," said Emanuel, who actually was relieved to learn she had a ligament tear rather than a worse prognosis. "(Doctors) thought it was broken at first so I was happy when I found out. It took a lot of work and therapy to get back. I basically lived for my ankle the whole month."

"Those seniors have created this program and they deserve to be out there," Peterson said. "I wanted to get my seniors out there to finish their season. It's unfortunate (Emanuel) got put into the position she was in because she's a strong, strong player for us."

Esko-Carlton 0-0--0

Rochester Lourdes 1-1--2

First half -- 1. RL, Hannah Anderson, 4:47.

Second half -- 2. RL, Emily Glynn, 74:23.

Goalies -- Rachel Ofstie, EC; Marissa DeCecco, RL. Save statistics not provided.