File photo of Minot North freshman Thalia Lewis (right) throwing the ball back into play. Nathan Beitler/MDN

The Minot North Sentinels girls soccer team hosted the WDA’s top ranked Mandan Braves on Friday night, May 15, as the 2026 regular season nears its end.

The Sentinels have been in a short slide after their victory against the Minot High Majettes earlier this month, culminating in their third loss in a row on Friday night with their game against the Braves.

The Braves got their start in the match early Friday night in the twelfth minute of the first half. The Braves’ senior midfielder Sarah Helderop picked up the first goal of the night unassisted and was quickly followed by sophomore Camryn Ulmer, who also scored her goal unassisted, to bring Mandan’s lead to 0-2.

The rest of the Braves’ scoring action was also in the first half of the ball game. Helderop scored her second and third goals of the night, completing her hat trick in the 25th ad 30th minute.

The first half of the game drew to a close with the Braves up 4-0, and the Sentinels had trouble playing catch up in the second half.

The second half of the match went scoreless for the first 13 minutes, but the Sentinels were able to put their first goal on the board when seventh grade forward Brengiei Lonning launched the ball into the back of the net with assistance from eighth grader Morgan Orth in the 54th minute of the match.

The Sentinels were unable to pick up any goals after their first, ending the match with a loss to the Braves at 1-4.

The Sentinels fell to a record of 8-5-1 on the season. The Sentinels still have one remaining home game of the regular season, where they will host the Bismarck St. Mary’s Saints on Tuesday, May 19, beginning at 7:30 p.m.