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Majettes one win away from three-peat

Photo by Sean Arbaut Minot High teammates celebrate with Morgan Forthun after Forthun scored a goal in the first half of a 2023 NDHSAA Girls Soccer State Tournament game against Shanley on Friday night.

FARGO – There has been quite a bit of recent history between the Minot Majettes and the Shanley Deacons heading into last night’s NDHSAA state semifinal. Just a year ago, Minot blanked Shanley 6-0 to repeat as state champions. The Deacons are also the last team to defeat Minot, knocking them off in the 2019 state title game. Since that 2-1 loss, Minot has gone unbeaten in forty-nine consecutive contests, the lone tie coming against Mandan earlier this year.

Minot advanced to the semifinal with a 3-0 win over Grand Forks Central in yesterday’s quarterfinal in a game that was significantly delayed by inclement weather.

The East No. 2 seed, Shanley, took a much harder route to the contest. After playing Mandan to a 0-0 draw in regulation and overtime, the Deacons finally broke through on penalty kicks to win the match 1-0, behind the goaltending of seventh-grader Rylee Seavert.

The game had a relatively benign start, as neither team had many opportunities in the early going. Then, with 20:43 left in the first half, the lightning arrived, and the game went into a weather delay.

It was just what Minot needed, as they came out the with plenty of opportunities to score. With 19:35 left in the first half, Maicee Burke sent the ball wide right. Burke buried her head in her hands, knowing she missed an opportunity.

Morgan Forthun answered right back though, finding the back of the net a few minutes later to give the Majettes the only goal they would need.

Shanley wasn’t without opportunities, though. With ten minutes left in the first half, Molly Flaherty dribbled around three Minot defenders and towards the Minot goal. However, the Majettes were able to clear the ball before the Deacons could get a shot off.

Late in the second half, the Deacons threw everything they could at the Minot defense, including their best opportunity of the game. With 4:35 left, Flaherty attempted a free kick, and Mia Metzger’s resulting header sailed right of the goal, and Minot’s goalkeeper Kynsli Gillmore was able to make the save.

Minot was moving the ball down the field with about a minute left and holding on to their slim lead when Maicee Burke tackled Shanley defender Cadence Schanzenbach from behind, resulting in a yellow card for Burke.

The free kick was too deep in Minot’s offensive zone to provide any real opportunity for Shanley though, and the Majettes were able to successfully run out the clock and escape with a 1-0 victory.

The win extends Minot’s unbeaten streak to fifty games, their last loss coming in the 2019 state finals. It also leaves the Majettes one win away from becoming the first program to win three consecutive state titles since Bismarck Century won three straight from 2001-2003.

Minot will play Fargo Davies at 3:30 p.m. today in the state finals. Davies advanced with a 4-1 win over Bismarck in the other semifinal. The two teams met in the 2021 state championship game. The Majettes won that game 6-0 to give them their first state title.

The loss drops Shanley to the third-place game where they will play the Demons this afternoon at 1:15 p.m.

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