Maren Friday had felt that pain before.
During Duluth Marshall's regular-season finale against Duluth Denfeld, the Hilltoppers midfielder felt her right knee buckle.
The sophomore's initial flashback was to the summer of 2017.
It was then, near the end of the Gitchi Gummi club team's season, that Friday made a hard tackle and suffered a partially detached medial collateral ligament in her right knee. She missed about half of the Hilltoppers' season and, upon her return, she overcompensated and pulled the quad muscle in her left leg, an injury that forced her to miss more time.
"I was really excited when I thought I could play again and I took it too fast when my body wasn't ready from not playing for so long," she recalled.
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Friday, who wears a brace on her right knee, didn't want a similar problem preventing her from leading the Hilltoppers into this year's playoffs.
"I was scared at first that I had re-injured it badly and would be out much longer," Friday said Tuesday. "But I was relieved to hear that it was slight and that I recovered quickly.
"The first game I played after injuring it I was a little hesitant, but once I get into the game I am focusing on playing well and connecting with my teammates. I don't think about it much, so I'm not favoring it anymore."
Friday is back to 100 percent as Marshall (14-5-1) prepares to meet second-seeded Orono (16-2-1) at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in a Class A state tournament quarterfinal at Chisago Lakes Area High School in Lindstrom, Minn.
It marks the Hilltoppers' first girls soccer state appearance in school history, and Friday is sure to play a crucial role.
A varsity player since seventh grade, Friday has transitioned from a high-scoring striker to a holding midfielder. She's still scoring, however, with her 14 goals ranking second on the team.
"Before the playoffs, she had led our team in goals and points," Marshall coach Nic Bacigalupo said. "During the playoffs, Gianna Kneepkens has put a bunch in the back of the goal, but Maren has locked down that middle for us."
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She's likely to cross paths with Orono senior forward Sarah Johnston, a Ms. Soccer finalist, who leads the Spartans in scoring. But the Hilltoppers have proven they know how to shut down a high-scoring team when they blanked Cloquet-Carlton and forward Kendra Kelley, the state's goal-scoring leader, in the Section 7A semifinals. They should be ready for Johnston.
"She's skilled with both feet, crafty, quick," Bacigalupo said of Johnston. "But I don't think she has the finishing speed and ability of a Kendra Kelley."
Marshall has allowed only two goals during its seven-game winning streak, a statistic that's sure to be tested tonight.
"Our ability to possess and defend, get numbers behind the ball, really improved as the season moved on," Bacigalupo said. "That showed in the playoffs, that we were able to defend in numbers and transition to an attack after that."
Friday, whose cousin, Nolan, played for Duluth East in the 2017 state soccer tournament, says the common denominator in Marshall's progression is having the core group play so much together - in the summer and the fall.
"Our team has been developing for a long time," Friday said. "We have a lot of young girls in my grade who also played Gitch soccer. So we've all been playing together for a very long time.
"Our teamwork, our connection and chemistry have exploded and we've become so connected on the field in our passing and communication and are able to anticipate what the other player is going to do."
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GIRLS SOCCER STATE TOURNAMENT
Duluth Marshall (14-5-1) vs. Orono (16-2-1)
What: Class A quarterfinal
When: 5:30 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Chisago Lakes H.S., Lindstrom, Minn.
