Two highly rated boys soccer powerhouses battled in St. Louis Park Tuesday night as Dan Lainsbury scored the game's only goal with 11:10 left in regulation time to lead the St. Louis Park Orioles to a 1-0 win over the defending Class A champion Blake Bears.
Neither team would tally in the first half. However, the Orioles got a crushing blow when Niko Pantazides was issued a red card and he was ejected from the game. St. Louis Park would have to play shorthanded the remainder of the game. What kept the Orioles, ranked second in Class AA behind the Edina Hornets was defense. They put pressure on a Bears offense that has scored 40 unanswered goals.
The streak would come to an end when Nick Riley made a centering pass to Lainsbury and he would send the ball into the net. Blake was unable to tally, though a shot went off the crossbar and the St. Louis Park defense would hold on for the win.
Tuesday night was also Senior night. At halftime, nine Oriole seniors and their parents were honored for their years of service to the boys soccer program.
Pat Hartman, who coached the team along with Bob Decker in head coach Chato's absence game his thoughts on how the Orioles managed to beat the Bears.
"I'm really proud of the boys tonight. They played their hearts out. They executed their game plan and they played well.
Hartman also stated that following Pantazides' disqualification, they responded well and played hard.
St. Louis Park improved their record to 9-0 and hosts the Bloomington Jefferson Jaguars on Thursday, September 19 at 5 PM. Blake fell to 9-1 and travels to Golden Valley on Wednesday, September 18 against the Breck Mustangs at 7:30 PM.
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