Kari Gibb/MDN Minot High senior Emerson Perrin (22) battles with Jamestown sophomore Miah Torres for the ball in the first half of play.

Minot High soccer faced the toughest opponent this season as they hosted the Jamestown Blue Jays. As both teams entered the contest with perfect 4-0 records in conference play, the winner became the lone undefeated team in the Western Dakota Association (WDA) standings.

The Majettes withstood the test against the bigger, stronger Blue Jays for the 3-0 win, extending their unbeaten streak to 56.

“We watched them [Jamestown] on film and understood who they were and how they liked to play the game,” said Minot High girls soccer head coach Matt Pfau. “What you can’t see on film is how big and strong their players are. We were surprised by that and it took some time to adjust to their aggressive and physical approach.”

The defensive battle lasted well into the 26th minute of play, before the Majettes began making strides into the offensive side of the field. At the 27 minute mark, junior McKenna Aldrich gathered in a pass from senior Emerson Perrin to score the first goal of the game.

“McKenna played very well,” said Pfau. “She is a rock out there and adjusted to the size of their [Jamestown] players before everyone else did.”

The teams went into halftime with Minot High holding a 1-0 lead. The teams came back to the field and the vibe had changed for the Majettes. Within six minutes, senior Maciee Burke fed the ball to sophomore Jayva McKibben for the second goal for Minot High.

“We talked at halftime about going back to our strength as a team,” said Pfau. “We worked the flanks with our speed and quickness. We did not use the wide sides of the field well in the first half and that adjustment worked.”

Nearly 20 minutes later, at the 64th minute mark, Burke scored a goal of her own. She was assisted by senior Bria Lewis on the score. Minot High outshot Jamestown 19-3 with Majettes freshman goalie Kinsli Gilmore maintaining a perfect season to date.

Minot High improves to 6-0 overall, 5-0 in the WDA, and it keeps the unbeaten streak alive while in the hunt for a record fourth consecutive state title.

“We work hard to focus on one game at a time,” said Pfau. “Occasionally we are reminded of what the numbers are, but the girls have done well to take those moments in stride and press forward with playing our game one opponent at a time.”

The Majettes will travel to Bismarck High Thursday, April 25, for their next game.