Prep girls soccer: Regis/McDonell falls to Assumption in sectional finals

Jun. 20—WISCONSIN RAPIDS — Assumption girls soccer has made a Cinderella run to the state tournament. And unfortunately for Regis/McDonell, the Saints were on the wrong side of the impressive feat.

The Royals scored twice in the first half, getting the eventual game-winning tally in the first five minutes, to best Regis/McDonell and pull off a No. 1/4 upset in the sectional finals Saturday in Wisconsin Rapids.

"They've got some really talented athletes," Regis/McDonell coach Scott Hoffmann said. "We knew coming in we would have a challenge in front of us. ... The better team won today, honestly. Assumption is a really good team. I wish them well in state."

Assumption controlled possession in the first 45 minutes, opening the scoring in the fifth minute. Saints goalie Anna Allen made an initial save after a cross from the right side found a Royal foot, but Kayla Kerkman was in good position to put home the rebound.

Clara Kubis doubled the deficit in the 34th minute when she was able to weave through traffic in and around the box to fire home a shot.

"Speed kills in soccer, and so does skill with speed," Hoffmann said. "Assumption's got quite a bit of that."

The Saints upped their possession in the second half, getting a handful more opportunities to score than they did in the first, but weren't able to solve Assumption's Kate Eithun for a second straight meeting.

"I pulled a third (defensive midfielder) back," Assumption coach Jim Wendels said of his second half adjustments. "I don't always like to do that, because we never spend any time on the attacking half, but they were coming at us pretty strong. We had to defend it."

While the Saints were the favorite on paper, coming in as the No. 1 seed in their half of the sectional, there were factors pointing in the direction of Assumption. The sectional was prescheduled to be played in Assumption's hometown, Wisconsin Rapids, for starters. And the Royals did quite well the first time these two squads met this season, besting Regis/McDonell 4-0.

Assumption will play at the state tournament for the third time in program history, its first appearance since 2014. To get here, the Royals had to knock off a pair of No. 1 seeds and a No. 2 seed.

"Sometimes that fuels the fire," Wendels said of the Royals' low seeding. "Sometimes we can't resolve things on paper. We do it on the field. We used that as a bit of motivation. These girls stepped up. It was a tough road to get here, but we've conditioned and trained for it. I'm just so proud of them for doing that."

The Saints, who were looking to make their first state appearance since 2018, were tested mightily in the postseason. Regis/McDonell needed a tying goal with 17 seconds remaining in the sectional semis, allowing the team to eventually pull off a shootout victory to stay alive for Saturday's matchup. Regis/McDonell graduates four seniors — Allen, Chelsea Schaf, Sydnee Yengo and Gabby Bergum — but for the most part it is a young group that should benefit from this season's playoff excursion.

"I sure hope it has a lot of value going forward," Hoffmann said. "We've got a lot of young talent on the team. We're going to miss our seniors — midfield, defense and our senior goalkeeper captain. We're going to miss her a lot. Anna played unbelievable today. But I told the girls, 'This is what we play for every year.' I hope the younger girls do what it takes to get back here next year."

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Assumption 2, Regis/McDonell 0

Assumption;2;0; — 2

R/M;0;0; — 0

Goals: 1, Assumption, Kayla Kerkman, 5th minute; 2, Assumption, Clara Kubis, 34th minute. Shots: Assumption 26, Regis/McDonell 5. Saves: Anna Allen (Regis/McDonell) 16.