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Majettes win West Region title in hard-fought contest with Demons

Sean Williams/MDN Emerson Perrin (22) of Minot High dribbling the ball on offense during the West Region championship game against the Bismarck Demons on Thursday night.

BISMARCK – For the second year in a row, the girls’ soccer West Region championship game featured the Minot High Majettes and the Bismarck Demons, as the two battled it out to determine seeding for the upcoming state tournament in Fargo.

Earlier in the year, the Majettes took down the Demons by a final of 6-1 as they look to remain perfect against the Demons this year, while adding another West Region title to their trophy case.

After dealing with a quiet contest early on, Minot’s top two goal scorers refused to stay silent, as they helped propel the Majettes to their fifth straight West Region title in a 2-1 win over the Bismarck Demons on Thursday night.

Both teams came out to the tune of a quiet first half, as the Majettes and Demons were unable to generate clean shots on net early on. With under 10 minutes to go before the break, Emerson Perrin gave the Majettes one of their best looks off a corner kick, nearly bending it in for a goal, but a key stop kept Minot off the board.

As the game moved to the final few minutes before half, it seemed like there was the potential for the two top scoring offenses in the West Region to be locked in a scoreless tie. That was until E. Perrin took matters into her own hands.

Off a short inbounds pass from a corner kick, E. Perrin got the ball and orchestrated the shot she wanted. In doing so, E. Perrin was able to break the scoreless tie with 3:20 left before the half, netting a goal to give Minot a 1-0 lead.

Finally able to breakthrough, the Majettes immediately ran to E. Perrin to celebrate, and it felt like they built momentum which was key in this closely contested match. A few minutes later, Majettes goalkeeper Kynsli Gillmore gave the team more momentum by making a full extension, crowd-roaring save to keep the Demons off the board.

The 1-0 lead by Minot was the final tally heading into the break, as Minot had momentum and were 40 minutes away from locking up a West Region title and the No.1 seed out of the West for the state tournament.

With plenty of time left to get back into the fight, the Demons came out hungry to get on the board. They nearly did in the first few minutes, however, a timely defensive stand by Camdyn Varty of Minot eliminated the opportunity.

Not staying off the board for long, the Demons got their first goal of the game with 28:43 left when Peyton Neumiller scored to even the tilt at 1-1. Suddenly, it was anyone’s match again as these two kept battling for the West Region title.

Throwing the next punch in the contest were the Majettes, as they continued to do damage off the corner kick. Maicee Burke corralled the pass and sent one in on the side of the net, putting the Majettes on top again at 2-1 with 18:28 left.

The goal by Burke proved to be the game winner, as Minot got another timely defensive stop from Varty in the final few minutes to keep Bismarck off the board. As the final horn sounded, fans rose to their feet and the Majettes celebrated on the field as they accomplished another huge goal together.

Following the game, it was announced that Bria Lewis, Marissa Thorson, Maicee Burke, Emerson Perrin, and Camdyn Varty were named to the West Region All-Conference Team.

Up next is the most important stretch of the season for the Majettes. They will officially begin their back-to-back state title defense in Fargo during the Girls Soccer State Tournament, which is set to run from June 1-3 at Fargo Davies High School.

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