Girls' Soccer Captures 5th State Title

BSM girls’ soccer took home the MSHSL Class AA State Championship on Friday, Nov. 3 at U.S. Bank Stadium, defeating Academy of Holy Angels 1-0. This is the fifth state title in BSM girls’ soccer history, with Red Knights previously clinching the championship in 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016.

“It feels so good that we were able to end our senior year with a state championship,” said team captain Lauren Hillins ‘24. “All the hard work we put in throughout the summer and the season paid off and it was so fun to see the team improve as a whole.”

The journey to this historic win was paved with unwavering commitment by the team. The Red Knights faced formidable opponents in the state tournament this year. Fueled by their determination to overcome the third place finish of last year, the Red Knights put up a remarkable 16-0-3 overall record, setting the stage for their run in the 2023 state tournament.

“This team was focused from the start. Some of the seniors were on the team in 2021 when we lost in the state final and again in the 2022 semi-final,” said head coach Scott Helling-Christy. “They wanted to go out their senior year as the state champions.”

BSM advanced to the state tournament after a 2-1 win over Blake in the section 5AA championship game, marking the fourth consecutive year the Red Knights have emerged as section champions.

In their first state championship game appearance, the Red Knights defeated random draw Mankato East 3-0. It was against Mankato East in 2022 that BSM’s season ended with a third-place finish after a hard-fought 1-1 tie. The Red Knights went on to face third-seed Winona at U.S. Bank Stadium, coming away with an impressive 7-1 victory and securing their place in the championship game against the first-seed, Academy of Holy Angels.

Aware of the challenge ahead, the Red Knights approached the championship game with a focused mindset. Senior midfielder Siena Carver scored what would be the only goal of the game in the 15th minute of the first half.

Olivia Olson made seven saves to preserve the victory, making the most important save of the game on a penalty kick with 19:30 left in the first half.

“When we didn't allow them to score and hung on to a 1-goal lead for 65 minutes it was amazing and I was so impressed with the effort the players put in and what they accomplished. They weren’t going to accept anything but a win and now they are the state champions,” said Helling-Christy.

Hillins and Olson were named to the All State Team along with Kiya Gilliand ‘24 and Grace Horejsi ‘24. Red Knights Carver, Gilliand, Hillins, and Olson were also named to the MSHSL Class AA All-Tournament Team.

Congratulations on your outstanding season and state title win, Red Knights!

Since 1970, BSM student athletes have won 48 team State Championships and more than 24 individual State Titles.