Christianson's goal sends Cannon Falls to state for first time in program history
Watching Lola Christianson's shot leave her foot and seeing it head toward the far post, it felt like forever for the ball to reach the goal line.
"It felt so slow. I thought the goalie was maybe reach it," Christianson said. "Once I saw it go in, I felt pretty good about it.
Her goal, coming in the 67th minute of the game, turned out to be the only goal of the game as the second-seeded Bombers held on defensively to shut down No. 1-seeded Fairmont to win the Section 2A title 1-0 in Austin Wednesday night.
Christianson, coming off her third hat trick of the season against Albert Lea in a section semifinal match, had a few earlier chances at the potential first goal. It wasn't until she got on the rush and had the step on two Fairmont defenders that she was able to direct a shot from a sharp angle in stride. The ball rolled perfectly to the far post and in.
Elation from the Cannon Falls bench and the row of Goodhue students in attendance, who had a perfect view of the goal.
"I knew that it was time. It needed to happen," Christianson said about finally getting a goal. "I gave one of my teammates a look to just pop it over. Then once I saw no one in front of me, I gave it my all."
"She's done it many times over and over, but I'm just really excited," said goalkeeper Avery Peterson.
Head coach Erika Schwede felt this year's team had all the potential to become the first in program history to make state.
"This year's team I really have had no doubts over," she said. "At the end of last season, I looked at Coach (Laura) Rezac and said 'next year is our year. We're going to state next year.' Throughout the season I kept telling her, this is going to be our year. We just have to find the heart and dig deep enough to do it. All three schools did."
Any doubts of whether the Cannon Falls girls soccer team, co-oping with Randolph and Goodhue, could win its first ever section championship were erased two days prior. The match against Albert Lea was a physical test. A few players were banged up with minor injuries, and the Bombers had a 2-0 lead erased in a 3-minute span in the first half.
Where the team grew in confidence was how well they shut down Albert Lea thereafter in a 4-2 victory.
"Didn't really think about it," Christianson said on whether a state tournament was ever on the mind. "After last year, I felt pretty confident about it. Feels super good. Really proud of my team."
The Cannon Falls, Randolph and Goodhue communities have come together nicely. The entire group of players made it their mission to play defensive and shut down any shot attempt or pass attempt into the middle of the field.
"I'm just thankful for my defense. They are the reason I have all these shutouts," Peterson said. "They are always there. They know how to get it out very quick."
Now that the three schools have formed a team good enough to get to the state tournament, what's next will be even tougher and more physical. It's about treating each game like another chance to show how well this team has come together lately.
"Every game after this is a bonus for us. Our goal was state. It's not going to be easy. There's a lot of good competition and private schools that we will be competing against," Schwede said. "We'll probably be one of the bottom four seeds, so we'll be seeing one of those top four. We just need to know that we have to put in the work. We have to all play defensively oriented. If we can go 0-0 and have a shootout, then great. Hopefully it's an even game and we have more opportunities, but we're going to prepare them to be ready to play defense."
"It's definitely going to be different and tough, but I think if we just keep trying our best and playing our game (we'll be fine)," Peterson said.
Seeding for the Class A tournament will be released later with the quarterfinal games scheduled for either Tuesday, Oct. 27, Wednesday, Oct. 28 or Thursday, Oct. 29, depending on seed and neutral site location. The semifinals will be held at US Bank Stadium the following week.
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