Author: Steve Mulholland

A season that included eight overtime games, last-second heroics – and a penalty shootout victory that launched the Eden Prairie boys soccer team into the section finals – has come to an end. The No. 3 seed Eagles fell to top seed Edina 2-1 in overtime Tuesday night. The Section 2AAA finals, on a neutral site field at Prior Lake High School, was played for the right to advance to the Class 3A state tournament. The loss ends an unforgettable run for the Eagles, who defeated top-ranked Wayzata in the regular season finale, scoring the game-winning goal with just two…

The No. 3 seeded Eden Prairie boys soccer team fell to top seed Edina 2-1 in overtime in the Class 2AAA section finals Tuesday night. The game, played at a neutral site field at Prior Lake High School, was scoreless through the first half. Edina opened the scoring on senior forward Luke Aadalen’s goal with 39:53 remaining in the second half.  The Eagles wasted no time to even the score. Senior forward Sebastian Bocanegra-Lima’s goal just three minutes later tied the game at 1.  The game remained deadlocked at the end of regulation and went into overtime, marking the eighth…

The Eden Prairie Eagles have put their past behind them and are looking to the future. Meanwhile, the present consists of improving their record to 5-2 after crushing Edina 42-16 Friday night at Aerie Stadium. In the rearview mirror, getting smaller and smaller with each touchdown against the Hornets, is the Eagles’ loss to Shakopee last Saturday afternoon. That game was moved to the day of the week typically reserved for college ball after a lockdown at Eden Prairie High School last Friday. “It was fine, it was fine,” said Eagles head coach Mike Grant, referring to the week of…

The Eden Prairie football team celebrated senior night in style with a 42-16 dismantling of Edina at Aerie Stadium Friday. The 7th-ranked Eagles offense cruised with five players scoring touchdowns. Junior Terae Dunn’s run from 14 yards out opened the scoring on the first offensive series. Senior linebacker Dominic Heim did double time and rushed for two touchdowns for the Eagles. His second score gave the Eagles a 35-0 lead in the third quarter. Eagles quarterback Nick Fazi made the most of his senior night, finding classmates Jermell Taylor and Michael Gross for a number of completions. The Eagles led 42-0…

When Eden Prairie defender Zach Fier faced Minnetonka goalkeeper Peyton Olson in the sudden-death penalty shootout at the Section 2AAA boys soccer semifinals on Thursday night, he knew exactly where he would send the ball. “I picked my spot before I walked up and put it where I wanted it,” said the senior, who didn’t allow himself to be overwhelmed by the moment. For that, he credits his teammates. “My keeper (junior Zach Diermeier) put me in a spot where the pressure wasn’t there. I could step up confidently,” Fier said. “It’s more than just me there. It was eight…

The Eden Prairie boys soccer team advanced to the Section 2AAA finals with a dramatic penalty shootout 2-1 win over Minnetonka on Thursday.  Amid frigid temperatures that reached 39 degrees and blustery winds, the game was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation. The teams remained deadlocked through two overtime periods and went to a penalty shootout. In the first round, each team made three goals in five attempts, moving the session into sudden death. In the sudden-death PK period, Eagles goalkeeper Zach Diermeier’s save paved the way for Eagles defender Zach Fier to make the game-winning goal. The Eagles…

Eden Prairie co-head coach Rob St. Clair missed his team’s dramatic upset win over Wayzata that closed out the boys soccer regular season last week. The Eagles improbable victory came with senior Zach Fier’s game-winning goal in the final two seconds to beat the state’s top-ranked team. St. Clair wasn’t going to miss this week’s encore performance. “It was a reboot,” St. Clair said with a smile. “I wasn’t getting my money’s worth, so I need them to give me some excitement too.” This week’s dose of adrenaline came when the Eagles were deadlocked in a 1-1 tie with Chanhassen…

Kelly Taylor has been coaching for 15 years. In that time, the Eden Prairie girls soccer head coach has experienced the realities of competition, both on the winning side and the losing side. After Edina eliminated the Eagles from the sectional playoffs on Tuesday night, she shared that lesson with her team. “There’s only one team – at the end of the day – whose season doesn’t end like this,” Taylor said. “And that’s the team that wins the state title. And these never get easier.” The Hornets, favored by many at the start of the season to go deep…

The Eden Prairie boys soccer team will advance to the Section 2AAA semifinals after another dramatic finish for the second week in a row. After their last-second upset of top-ranked Wayzata to close out the regular season last week, the Eagles’ Tuesday evening match with Chanhassen went into overtime after a 1-1 tie at the end of regulation. High winds at Aerie Stadium in Eden Prairie had a major impact on both teams throughout the game. Eden Prairie had the advantage with the wind at their backs in the first overtime period that saw both teams with scoring chances. As…

The fourth-ranked Eden Prairie Eagles traveled to Shakopee on Saturday, arriving 17 hours after they were originally scheduled to take the field against the sixth-ranked Sabers. A school lockdown at Eden Prairie High School on Friday forced the game’s postponement. So instead of Friday Night Lights, two of the state’s top football teams squared off in the bright sunshine of an October Saturday. But no one expected the end result of this contest to be quite so one-sided, as Shakopee came away with a decisive 31-14 win over the Eagles. Eden Prairie head coach Mike Grant was asked if he…