FNS Photo Fargo Davies' Alexis Matter (8) and Minot's Clair Weltz get tangled up Friday during the North Dakota girls state soccer tournament at Rotary Field in Jamestown.

JAMESTOWN (FNS) – Minot’s Emelea Miller was at a loss for words Friday night at Rotary Field. But that’s what happens to a freshman goalkeeper after she takes down the two-time defending state champions with a game-winning shootout penalty kick.

Miller’s shot low and to the left beat all-state keeper Breanna Nelson and lifted Minot to a 2-1 victory over Fargo Davies in the semifinals of the North Dakota high school girls soccer state tournament. Minot won 3-2 on penalty kicks after the game was tied at 1-1 at the end of two 10-minute overtime periods.

Minot will play Fargo Shanley in Saturday’s championship at 3:30 p.m.

“I’ve always shot there, except for at state last year,” Miller said. “Kinda overwhelmed right now, I’m only a freshman.”

That’s correct, Miller has done this before. As an eighth grader she buried the game-winning PK after overtime to help Minot top Bismarck St. Mary’s 2-1 in the fifth-place match of last year’s state tournament.

“She’s got ice in her veins,” said Minot coach Matt Pfau. “Our goalie got injured in the overtime and she came in and got the game-winner last year in the state tournament … and then to do it again today to get us into the state title game is just unbelievable.”

Minot broke the ice after a scoreless first half behind an Allison Lepp penalty kick in the 51st minute. But the Eagles leveled the score eight minutes later when Makayla Selensky cleaned up a bouncing ball in the goal box.

Davies (13-2-2) hadn’t lost since falling to Shanley 1-0 on April 25.

“We played probably our best game of the year,” said Fargo Davies coach Nick Christianson. “We just came up against a good Minot team. They capitalized on their opportunities and we capitalized on ours, and it comes down to a PK shootout.”

After shootout makes by Minot’s Lepp and Morgan Perrin, and Davies’ Megan Barnick and Emily Hanson, misses by Minot’s Lainey Sandberg and Davies’ Kylie Glover brought Miller to the penalty mark.

The Majettes (12-2-1) are back in the state championship match for the first time since falling in a shootout to West Fargo for the 2010 crown. That had been Minot’s only championship appearance in 12 state tournaments berths.

Shanley hasn’t lost a match all season and has outscored the opposition 52-2 in 2019.

“There’s a lot of grit on this team and we’ve got to just be who we are and come out and win the midfield battle again,” Pfau said. “It’s going to be another battle with a team that hasn’t given up very many goals this year, but we’re going to be up for the challenge.”

The Eagles will play West Fargo Sheyenne at 1:15 p.m. Saturday for third.

“I told them that I’m really proud of them. They’re my second family,” Christianson said. “I know the character that they have. They’ll come back and be more energized for tomorrow and building into next year that group will have a little extra push to get us back to where we want to be.”