On Tuesday night Superior hosted the Duluth Denfeld Hunters for senior project night. 5 of our seniors were involved in putting together a "Kick Out Cancer" event. There was a 50/50 raffle, t-shirts, and a silent auction. Over $3,000 was raised for The American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in Minneapolis, MN. One of our player's parents recently went through cancer treatments and was able to stay at the Hope Lodge at no cost while receiving care. That experience showed our team and soccer community how much a safe place to stay can mean to a family when facing cancer. Thank you to everyone who participated and contributed to this cause. The fight against cancer continues on...
It was a beautiful night for soccer and the positive atmosphere was felt as the Spartans and Hunters were to face off in their friendly rivalry. However, just 45 seconds into the game everything changed. Junior captain Marc Pagnucci was battling for a ball and fell back on his left ankle. The game was stopped and the trainers and coaching staff worked to help Marc off the field. He would remain out of the game and it looked like his season would be over. You could say that the air got let out of the building. Both teams were affected by the thought of such a terrible injury to one of their teammates and opponents. The sportsmanship was appreciated as the Spartans, Hunters, players, coaches, and even the referees were helping to console one another in the moment. And of course, eventually the game goes on...but the Spartans would have to work through the shock of losing one of their best players and the potential future effect of this season in the back of their minds.
In the next twenty minutes, Denfeld battled hard and took the momentum at hand. The Hunters scored goals in the 10th and 21st minutes to open up a 2-0 lead. The Superior coaching staff was split between caring for Pagnucci and addressing the game issues. In a moment of unity, the players on the field were brought together to reset and refocus the game at hand. The question now was, how would Superior handle the adversity of the moment? ...The Spartans answered resoundly!
Just eight minutes later, senior captain Chase Danielson sent a through ball up the middle to senior captain Spencer Kidd. And he did what he does best. Beat the defense to the ball and nudged it past the approaching goalie before a collision. The ball easily bounced its way into the goal and the score was now 2-1. New life was brought to the Spartan side. And eight minutes after that, it was Danielson once again setting up the tying goal. This time on a corner kick to sophomore Keagan Shannon who deflected it neatly off the head into the back of the net. The score was 2-2 and the momentum had swung to the Superior side! At halftime, both teams took the needed rest and moment to collect themselves and get focused for what would be a battle for the winning goal.
In the second half, Superior made it clear they came to win. Just seven minutes into the half, it was what we have seen so many times over the last four years. Spencer Kidd pressured the defense to force a bad pass, stole the ball and kept the last defender at bay, then neatly chipped the goalie into the upper corner of the net. One individual effort on a night full of every team member stepping up in different ways. Kidd's second goal of the night gave Superior a 3-2 lead. The battle continued on, with Superior mostly holding the edge in possession and chances. However, in the 65th minute Denfeld brought pressure into the penalty area and after a failed attempt to clear the ball away Denfeld had a point blank shot to the goal. This time it was senior Brady Bachand making the save to secure the lead. Bachand was credited with seven saves on the night. The Spartans finished strong and held to the very last whistle for a 3-2 win. Superior improves their record on the season to 15-2-1. That is tied for the most wins in a single season in the history of Spartans soccer. The Spartans finished 5-1-1 in the LSC Conference and secured second place.
The JV game was not as eventful, but still a good game from both sides. Denfeld scored two second half goals to win the game 2-0. Freshmen Liam Perrault and Nathan Madsen both saw action in goal. Perrault made 6 saves and Madsen made 5 saves. The JV drops to 8-10-1 on the season. Both Spartan squads head to Hayward on Thursday afternoon to finish out a stretch of 7 games in 10 days.
What a night! While there were many emotions stretching from both sides of the field, it was a wonderful night for the soccer community in the Twin Ports. A special thank you to Coach Scott Anderson and the Denfeld Hunters coaching staff and players for a great game, good sportsmanship, and even for their participation and support of our "Kick Out Cancer" night. Thanks to all who attended and contributed. Let's go Spartans!
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