On Saturday the Superior Spartans Boys Soccer team traveled to Eau Claire North for matches against Wisconsin Rapids and the host Huskies. In the first match, it was Superior against Wisconsin Rapids. Side note, the last time these teams played was a 1-0 loss for the Spartans at Rapids in the 2024 WIAA playoffs. Last year we traveled down to Rapids but were unable to play due to inclement weather. This day was much different. Superior got on the board in the 4th minute with a goal from senior captain Aiden Pagnucci. Senior captain Spencer Kidd added a goal in the 38th minute to give Superior a 2-0 halftime lead.
In the second half, it was continued dominance for the Spartans. Senior captain Marc Pagnucci added a goal in the 48th minute and Kidd scored his second of the game in the 71st minute. It wasn't until the final ten seconds when Rapids broke through the Spartan defense to get a late goal but the final was a comfortable 4-1 win. Kidd tallied 2 goals and one assist. Marc Pagnucci added an assist to his one goal and junior Zack Monaghan added an assist as well. Senior Brady Bachand tended the net for Superior. This was an important win for our playoff seeding as Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln is in our playoff group bracket.
After a break, a short rest, and a quick snack - the Spartans faced off with Eau Claire North. The game was well controlled by Superior, but the scoring took a little longer to get going. Spencer Kidd got the Spartans on the board early in the first half and that 1-0 lead held until halftime. But in the second half, Superior broke the game open with 4 more goals. Kidd finished with a hat trick as well as one assist. Sophomore Titus Thompson added a goal and an assist. Junior Henry Haugen also scored a goal, Aiden Pagnucci added two assists, and senior captain Chase Danielson had one assist. Bachand earned the shutout in goal with seven saves. The Spartans improved their overall record to 13-2-1 and 4-1 in games played within our playoff group. This will be vital for the seeding meeting next Wednesday night.
The JV team was also in action against the same teams at the same time. In the first matchup the JV Spartans struck first with a goal in the 10th minute from sophomore Demion Campbell assisted by freshman Henry Farell. Wisconsin Rapids tied the game about 15 minutes later, but Superior took the lead back with three minutes remaining in the half. Senior Mason Specht scored a goal assisted by sophomore Aeron Weber. The Spartans were up 2-1 at the half. But Rapids evened the game about halfway through the second half. Superior took the lead back with about ten minutes remaining when Farell beautifully chipped the goalie on the assist from freshman Sawyer Plafcan. Unfortunately, the Red Raiders quickly replied to tie the game 3-3 just two minutes later. The game ended in a 3-3 tie. Freshman Liam Perrault finished with 13 saves.
In the second game the JV Spartans faced the Eau Claire North Huskies in a classic back and forth battle. While North had more shots on goal in the first half, it was Superior who scored the lone first half goal. Freshman Jiri Saari blasted home a terrific cross from Demion Campbell to give Superior a 1-0 halftime lead. The battle was just beginning. Just four minutes into the second half, Campbell threw in a long ball to Mason Specht who beat the defense to the ball and struck past the goalie for a 2-0 lead. That goal must have woke up the Huskies because less than 30 seconds later they broke through for a goal to cut the deficit to 2-1. After some back and forth action, Eau Claire tied the game about halfway through the second half. Thankfully, it was Campbell and Farell to the rescue again. Farell made a long run down the sideline and crossed in low and neat to Campbell who finished home to give Superior a 3-2 lead. The last minutes were a struggle with both teams giving everything they had. This is when things got interesting. As the clock ran out, a hand ball was called on the Spartans near the box. The referee ruled a penalty kick in favor of North and they promptly scored what they thought was the tying goal. However, after a little encouragement from the coaching staff and players - the referees reconvened and called the play back. They determined the hand ball happened outside the box, no goal, but North would be given a free kick. Perrault made the save and Superior won the game 3-2 in dramatic fashion. Perrault finished the game with 18 saves. JV improves to 8-8-1 on the season.
With both Spartan teams taking home first place in today's triangular, they continue to build momentum in the last two weeks of the season. Superior will travel to Proctor on Monday night and host Duluth Denfeld on Tuesday night. Both nights are JV at 5:00pm and varsity at 7:00pm. Keep it going Superior!
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