Adam Papin/MDN Emerson Perrin (22) of Minot High taking a penalty kick during a game against the Mandan Braves on Monday night at Duane Carlson Stadium.

The success of the Minot High girls’ soccer team (8-0-1 overall, 5-0-1 West Region) is no secret. What the team has been able to accomplish over the last few years has been nothing short of remarkable. From winning back-to-back state titles to going 41 games in a row without a loss, the Majettes are accomplishing things athletes can only dream of.

Heading into Monday night’s matchup with the Mandan Braves (5-1-2 overall, 4-0-2 West Region), Minot’s streak is still alive, however, this game means a lot more to the Majettes. Nearly two weeks ago, the Braves came the closest out of any team to ending the streak by tying with the Majettes in a 2-2 final.

Even though Minot was able to survive and keep the streak going by avoiding a loss, the mood around the team did not feel that way, and they have been waiting for an opportunity to meet Mandan again after what happened last time.

“Stay focused. You don’t want to have a letdown after a really good performance like we had against Bismarck,” Majettes head coach Matt Pfau said was his message to the team heading into Monday’s contest.

Monday night at Duane Carlson Stadium presented the Majettes with that opportunity, as they welcomed the Braves to the Magic City. After starting out strong, the Majettes kept their foot on the gas and never trailed against Mandan in a 3-0 win.

“I think we had a good start tonight. We had two goals in the first 15 minutes. We struggled a bit at times, but we had a good start and gave ourselves a lead,” Pfau said.

Pfau added, “We feel good. Down there it was an emotional one because we tied them, so the girls wanted to go out and get a win tonight and show that they can beat them. Mandan is a good team and there’s a chance we can see them again later in the season.”

The game got off to a bit of a physical start, with athletes from both teams being knocked around early on and the Majettes were able to take advantage of that. After receiving a penalty kick at the 4:31 mark, Emerson Perrin sent a shot above a wall of Mandan defenders and found the back of the net to give Minot a 1-0 lead.

During the year, the Majettes have shown the ability to score in bunches once they get going, and Morgan Forthun continued that trend by doubling Minot’s lead to 2-0 on a goal two minutes later.

Minot kept up the pressure throughout the rest of the first half, but remained scoreless after the early tallies as they took a 2-0 advantage into the break. The Braves kept putting up a fight in the opening half, and they were able to break through Minot’s defense and test goalkeeper Kynsli Gillmore a few times, but Gillmore rose to the occasion to keep Mandan off the board.

After both teams traded possessions for a while, neither was able to score in what was turning into a quiet second half. Minot missed a golden opportunity to add to their lead, however, they eventually did after E. Perrin found Forthun on a great pass and Forthun buried it for her second goal of the night.

The score by Forthun came with 15:58 left, giving Minot a 3-0 lead. That brought the game to its final score, as Gillmore and the Minot defense did not let up in a shutout win against Mandan on Monday night.

“One thing I like about Kynsli is that for being an eighth grader, she’s very vocal and talks a lot out there. That helps the back line in knowing where they need to go at times. She was way more confident tonight. She needs to keep playing with confidence and I thought she was really good tonight,” Pfau said on Gillmore’s performance.

In what will be a busy week for Minot, they will be back on the field tonight at 6 p.m. when they head south of town to take on the Century Patriots at Sanford Sports Complex.