Minot North’s Anistyn Perrin led the team in scoring during the regular season with 20 points, recording a team-high 14 assists. The Sentinels play Grand Forks Red River in the state tournament quarterfinal on Thursday, May 28, at 2:15 p.m. at Sanford Sports Complex in Bismarck. Mike Kraft/MDN

Before the start of the season, Minot North coach Haris Bosnjak and his team set the lofty goal of advancing to the state tournament in just their second year as a varsity program.

The Sentinels believed it was an attainable achievement after finishing sixth in the WDA standings in their inaugural season and so did the rest of the conference, picking them to finish fourth and grab the final state tournament bid in the preseason coaches’ poll.

Minot North met their goal and exceeded the expectations set by the rest of the conference by winning 10 games and finishing third in the WDA to punch its ticket to the state tournament as one of the final eight teams in contention for a championship.

“We did have it as a goal and I think we were very focused on it throughout the season to give us this opportunity to get to state and I think they are all really excited going into this week where we’ve got our final bit of prep and then the big event itself,” Bosnjak said.

The Sentinels (10-5-1 overall, 10-5-1 WDA) never fell outside the top four in the WDA standings once the season got underway. They won six of their first seven matches, outscoring opponents 23-8 during that stretch. A win against WIlliston on April 30 gave Minot North its seventh win, surpassing last year’s total. The Sentinels followed up that performance with their first victory over crosstown rival Minot High, 3-2, as Kohlee Roberts netted the game-winning goal in the 77th minute.

Minot North hit a bit of a roadblock after that as injuries and illness began to mount. The Sentinels dropped their next three contests to Jamestown, Bismarck Century and Mandan, slipping into a tie for third with Jamestown and only being a few points clear of Century as the Patriots were making a late push to grab one of the final playoff positions.

The Sentinels regrouped over the final week of the season, defeating Bismarck St. Mary’s and Bismarck Legacy. The victory over the Saints secured their spot at the state tournament and the ensuing win against the Sabers locked them into the No. 3 seed.

“The girls are technically a really good team,” Bosnjak said. “Tactically, they’ve been getting better and better at understanding what we’re asking from them. We have not just one player but a few that can have game-changing moments, whether that’s offensively or defensively. I’m pretty confident and I’m trying to have the girls understand that they are capable of doing great things, too.”

Anistyn Perrin led the team in scoring with 20 points, scoring six goals and registering a team-best 14 assists. Julia Lewis and Roberts were the top two goal scorers with 12 and 11, respectively. The Sentinels averaged 3.1 goals per match.

Perrin, Lewis and Roberts are among some of the most experienced players on the roster, but the Sentinels have also received a shot in the arm offensively by two of its youngest members in Morgan Orth and Brengiei Lonning. Orth – an eighth grader, netted nine goals and tallied six assists to finish tied for third on the team in scoring with 15 points. Lonning – a seventh grader – was fifth in scoring with seven goals and seven assists.

“Morgan Orth and Brengiei Lonning have been two great standout players at the middle school level,’ Bosnjak said. “I’ve told them both that I couldn’t have been more proud of their conference league performances. I have to remind them and myself that we’re working with seventh and eighth graders here. They’ve done really well and the reason why they have been given this opportunity themselves is because in terms of their talent, in terms of their ability, in terms of being able to pick up things we’re asking for is why they are finding themselves in the starting lineup and playing significant minutes.”

Defensively, Minot North allowed 1.5 goals per game. Goalkeeper Camryn Guy made 85 saves over the course of the regular season, posting five shutouts. The Sentinels surrendered 14 fewer goals this season.

The Sentinels match up with Grand Forks Red River in the quarterfinal round on Thursday, May 28, at 2:15 p.m. at Sanford Sports Complex in Bismarck. The Red Raiders (11-2-2 overall, 10-2-2 EDC) are making their 16th state tournament experience and third consecutive. They have two titles to their name, winning in 1999 and 2004. Red River finished third at state last year.

The Red Raiders averaged four goals per game during the regular season and recorded five or more goals in six games, including 10 against West Fargo. They are led by a trio of 2025 all-EDC players in senior forward Addison Kotrba, sophomore midfielder Regan Hodny and sophomore forward Taylor Hodny.

“Grand Forks are a tidy side,’ Bosnjak said. “They’ve got a few really good players we have to be smart about when it comes to our offensive and defensive responsibilities when it comes time. Anyone in this tournament seems capable of beating anyone else and I think we’re capable of beating Grand Forks, too, with this opportunity on Thursday.”

Minot North didn’t play a game against the East Region this year and Red River defeated Jamestown, 5-2, in its only contest with the WDA. The Red Raiders are unbeaten in their last six matches (4-0-2) entering the state tournament.

While Minot North as a program will be participating in its first state tournament this weekend, many of the upperclassmen on the roster have played on the biggest stage when with Minot High during its run of title game appearances. That experience should prove beneficial when it comes to relaxing their teammates who are getting their first taste of postseason soccer.

“We’ve got experienced minds and players in general in terms of playing year round and in scenarios like this,” Bosnjak said. “Although we do have a new team going into it, I do think we have players who have found themselves in moments like this in the past that they can bring that for us, especially with some of the younger girls we have in particular.”

With a pair of wins against teams in the state tournament field, as well as being less than a minute away from tying unbeaten Mandan in their first matchup of the season, the Sentinels are confident they can play with anyone. While Bosnjak wants his team to soak in the moment of being at the state tournament and being proud of what they’ve accomplished to this point, they might as well seize the opportunity to win the whole thing.

“In a scenario where you only have to win three games, you try to go for that,” Bosnjak said. “I do want us to go into it where we can potentially get something out of this, but of course the experience is going to be valuable for most of the squad I’ll be retaining going into the season next year, but I do have a couple seniors who we can maybe get something more out of it potentially as well.”