Five Local Soccer Teams Learn State Seeding & First Round Opponent

Over the weekend, the state seedings for both boys and girls soccer were released.

DULUTH, Minn.- Over the weekend, the state seedings for both boys and girls soccer were released.

And only one local team secured higher than a 5th seed spot.

That team would be the Esko girls, who are set for their 4th straight state tournament.

Esko earns the 4th seed and will clash with the 5th seed, St. Croix Prep in the quarterfinals on Wednesday at 5:30 in White Bear Lake.

Each team has great defenses with Esko only giving up 6 goals this year compared to St. Croix’s 8.

A bit of a surprise in class AAA as Duluth East will head into the tournament unseeded.

They’ll meet a Stillwater squad in the first round, who they’ve already played before.

The Ponies were able to get the best of the Greyhounds on September 6th as they came away with the 4 to 1 victory.

East is entering their 2nd straight state tourney while Stillwater is back in the big dance after a two-year hiatus.

The game will take place on Tuesday at 7:30 in Forest Lake.

The wait is almost over for the Grand Rapids girls, who are set for their first-ever appearance at the state tournament.

No easy task right off the get-go as they’ll battle the defending champions, Mahtomedi in the opening round.

The Thunderhawks will hit the field right before Duluth East does on Tuesday at 5:30 in Forest Lake.

The Duluth Denfeld boys are in a similar spot in terms of first round matchups.

They’ll battle Blake, who came away with the top prize in 2024.

The Hunters won their first Section 7AA title since 2020 and will make their first state appearance since the 2018 season.

Their state quarterfinal matchup with Blake will take place on Tuesday at 5:30 in White Bear Lake.

Last but not least in Class A, the Duluth Marshall Hilltoppers are gearing up for their 3rd straight state tournament.

They earned the five seed and will clash with the fourth seed, Southwest Christian in the opening round.

Marshall has the longest wait of local teams as their contest won’t take place until Thursday at 5:30 in Forest Lake.

If all goes well, Marshall along with the quarterfinal winners advance to the semifinals next week at U.S. Bank Stadium.