Boys Soccer
2023 Highlights
SPA boys’ soccer team capped off another remarkable postseason in championship fashion, winning the Class 1A Minnesota State title in a come-from-behind 3-2 victory against Pine Island/Zumbrota Mazeppa on Friday, November 3, 2023 at U.S. Bank Stadium. This is the Spartans’ second straight title, the program’s sixth championship overall and the first time the team has won back-to-back titles since the 1986-87 seasons.
“We really didn’t want this season to end, and I think this was the best way to go out,” says senior and captain Cooper Olson ’24. You can find the full State Championship recap here.
With the #2 seed in Section 3A, the road to State was an impressive one. The team never surrendered a goal through section play, outscoring their opponents 7-0, and posting three consecutive shutouts. They sailed through the quarter and semi-final rounds and faced off against Minnehaha Academy for the second-straight year. The Spartans’ 2-0 victory in the Section final represented both their ticket to State and their second victory over the Redhawks this season.
MSHSL All-Tournament Team: Orion Kim ‘24, Cooper Olson ‘24, Awaale Osman ‘24 and Ezra Straub ‘25
Mr. Soccer Class A: Cooper Olson ‘24
All-State: Orion Kim ‘24, Cooper Olson ‘24, Awaale Osman ‘24 and Ezra Straub ‘25
All-Conference: Orion Kim ‘24, Cooper Olson ‘24, Awaale Osman ‘24, Ezra Straub ‘25 and Arlo Zirps ‘25
All-Conference Honorable Mention: Carson Granberg ‘25 and Lucas Granja ‘25
2023 Captains: Orion Kim ‘24, Cooper Olson ‘24, and Awaale Osman ‘24
MSHSL State Tournament Participants – 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986 Champion, 1987 Champion, 1988, 1989 Runner-up, 1990 Runner-up, 1991 Champion, 1992, 1993, 1994 Champion, 1995 Runner-up, 1996 Runner-up, 2010, 2011, 2012 A Runner-up, 2022 A Champion, 2023 A Champion
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After finishing the regular season with an 8-3-3 record, SPA soccer received the #1 seed in Section 3A. SPA defeated the Nova Knights 5-0 in the quarterfinals, St. Croix Lutheran Academy 4-0 in the semifinals, and Minnehaha Academy 1-0 in the Section Championship on Tuesday, October 18. With the section title victory, SPA advanced to the State tournament for the first time since 2012. SPA boys’ soccer team capped off a remarkable postseason in championship fashion, winning the Class 1A Minnesota State title in a 2-0 victory against St. Anthony Village on Friday, November 4, 2022, at U.S. Bank Stadium. This is the Spartans’ first State title since 1994 and the program’s fifth championship overall. See the article below for the full recap.
IMAC Goalkeeper of the Year: Cooper Olson ‘24
MSHSL All-Tournament Team: Cooper Bollinger Danielson ’23, Nathan Cohen ’23, Yash Kshirsagar ’23, Awaale Osman ’24Â and Ezra Straub ’25
All-State: Cooper Bollinger Danielson ‘23, Nathan Cohen ‘23, Cooper Olson ‘24 and Ezra Straub ‘25
All-Conference: Cooper Bollinger Danielson ‘23, Nathan Cohen ‘23 and Ezra Straub ‘25
All-Conference Honorable Mention: Cooper Olson ‘24 and Awaale Osman ‘24
Captains: Cooper Bollinger Danielson, ‘23, Nathan Cohen ‘23, and Yash Kshirsagar ’23
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State Champs! SPA Wins Class 1A Title
SPA boys’ soccer team capped off a remarkable postseason in championship fashion, winning the Class 1A Minnesota State title in a 2-0 victory against St. Anthony Village on Friday, November 4, 2022 at U.S. Bank Stadium. This is the Spartans’ first State title since 1994 and the program’s fifth championship overall.
“This year … there was [a] mentality switch,” says senior and captain Cooper Bollinger-Danielson ’24, who was quoted in the Star Tribune‘s recap of the championship game. “I’ve played on a lot of…soccer teams throughout my life. And for some reason, this team has something truly special.” Read the Star Tribune article.
The road to the State championship was built on the Spartans’ disciplined offense and aggressive defense, which were on peak display throughout the entire postseason. The team never surrendered a single goal in the postseason, outscoring their opponents 24-0 in six consecutive shutouts during section competition and the State tournament. Seeded #1 in Section 3A, the team sailed through the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, defeating Nova 5-0 in the quarterfinals and St. Croix Lutheran Academy 4-0 in the semifinals and earning the right to face off against IMAC rival Minnehaha Academy for a trip to State. The Spartans 1-0 victory in the Section final represented both their ticket to State and a season sweep over the Redhawks, who had defeated twice in the regular season.Â
The team belied their #4 seed at State by winning handily over their first two opponents, beating #5 seed St. Cloud Cathedral 6-0 in the quarterfinal round and Maranatha Christian Academy 6-0 in the semifinals to face off against an unseeded but tough St. Anthony Village team in the championship game. The Spartans were well up to the challenge, however, putting in two goals about eight minutes apart in the first half of the title game. The first score came when senior and captain Cooper Bollinger-Danielson ’23 pounced on a rebound right in front of the wide-open net for his team-leading 24th goal of the season. Not long after, fellow senior and captain Nathan Cohen ’23 extended the Spartans’ lead with an assist from senior and captain Yash Kshirsagar ’23. After a scoreless second half lasting until almost 11 p.m. due to delays earlier in the day, the Spartans claimed the match and the Class 1A title.Â
