Sartell's 'great season' falls short in Class 2A State Quarterfinals
· Yahoo Sports
MONTICELLO, Minn. — The Sartell girls soccer team fizzled out in the first round of the MSHSL State Tournament, falling to No. 2 Academy of Holy Angels 8-0.
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The Stars got the scoring started early and often with a goal from Gianna Peichel in the 38th minute before Clare Meyer, Morgan Borrell, Emma Danberry all chipped in goals to make it a 5-0 lead at halftime.
Danberry continued in the second half with two additional goals to complete the hat trick and confirmed the win twofold, flexing the muscles that had been on display all season long to the tune of a 108-9-point differential.
McKenna Vixayvong added a goal late in the game to finish off the scoring for the Stars.
The seniors for Sartell graduate with four consecutive winning seasons to pair with the back-to-back trips to state under the leadership of head coach Andrea Benninghoff who was appointed ahead of their freshman year in 2023.
While the Sabres fell short of making it to U.S. Bank Stadium once again, the effort put on display these last two years is something to be proud of.
“These are the girls I’ve had since they started,” Benninghoff said. “I’m super proud of them, and that’s what we reminded them [after the game]. It was a great season; they’re a great group of girls.”
Sartell saw a lot of growth throughout the 2026 season, starting the season 4-3-1 before going 8-3 down the stretch before the finale against AHA.
The turbulent start was headlined by a 6-2 loss to Little Falls in the second game of the season.
“Their heads were down [after that loss] and I thought, ‘Is this how it’s going to be?,’” Benninghoff said. “It didn’t define them then, and I told them that this score shouldn’t define them now. We have a young team and they should be super proud to get to state; not everybody gets to state. They need to hold their heads up and be proud of what they accomplished.”
Through the losing effort against the Stars, the Sabres did not falter one bit. Playing until the absolute final whistle. Senior forward Mollie Statsick, the program’s record holder for goals in a season, would even wind up injuring her ankle in the waning minutes despite the score.
That sort of effort encapsulated this 2026 Sartell squad.
“They care, they support and they fought until the end,” Benninghoff said. “When you have a score that looks like that, it’s not easy to keep going. I can’t ask for more than that. It takes a village to have a program; not a lot of schools can say both boys and girls team got to state, let alone two years in a row.”
You can reach St. Cloud Times sports reporter David Jacobs and send story ideas and tips to [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @davidrjacobs10, and on Instagram @ByDavidJacobs.
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Sartell's 'great season' falls short in Class 2A State Quarterfinals