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HERMANTOWN — Hermantown’s girls soccer team has beaten the defending Section 7AA champion and challenged the tournament’s top seed. Now the Hawks must turn those results into another postseason run after finishing an uneven regular season.
Hermantown enters the playoffs at 8-7-1 and is listed fourth in the final section seedings, behind Cloquet/Carlton, Grand Rapids and Duluth Denfeld. The Hawks are seeking a third consecutive appearance in the section championship after falling one victory short of the state tournament each of the past two seasons.
Section quarterfinals are scheduled for Tuesday, followed by semifinals Thursday, and the championship Tuesday, Oct. 20. The seedings put Hermantown opposite fifth-seeded Hibbing/Chisholm in a projected quarterfinal, with top-seeded Cloquet/Carlton the potential semifinal opponent.
The Hawks split their final two regular-season matches, defeating Proctor 2-1 on Oct. 6 before losing 6-1 to Duluth East the following afternoon. Hermantown also beat Two Harbors 3-0 on Oct. 1 and lost 3-0 to Cloquet/Carlton on Oct. 3, alternating wins and losses through its final four outings.
The strongest evidence of Hermantown’s postseason potential came Sept. 22, when Vienna Kolenda scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Grand Rapids. That result reversed the outcome of last season’s section final, when the Thunderhawks defeated the Hawks 1-0 in overtime.
Kolenda has delivered several of Hermantown’s most significant offensive performances. She scored three goals in the season-opening 6-0 victory over North Branch, then added two in a 3-1 win over Big Lake. Her ability to create goals for teammates was especially evident against Hibbing/Chisholm on Sept. 10, when she finished with two goals and three assists in a 9-0 victory.
Bryden Giesen has provided another established scoring threat. She recorded two goals and an assist in the 5-1 victory over Duluth Marshall on Aug. 31, while Kaija Markovich contributed a goal and an assist. Piper Raukar and Kaitlyn Glanville also scored, with Harper Nelson, Kolenda and Ryann Knight supplying assists.
Giesen added two more goals against Hibbing/Chisholm, a match that demonstrated the Hawks’ offensive depth. Kaitlyn Patterson, Markovich, Nelson, Glanville and Aveyah Shykes each scored once, McKenna Johnson supplied two assists and Scarlett Carlson added another. Seven different players scored for Hermantown, giving a possible playoff rematch a substantial statistical backdrop.
Hibbing/Chisholm enters the tournament listed at 3-11-1. Based on their first meeting and overall records, the Hawks would be clear favorites in that matchup, although the larger challenge would arrive against the section’s top three seeds.
Cloquet/Carlton presents the most difficult obstacle on Hermantown’s projected side of the bracket. The Lumberjacks finished 11-3-2 overall and 5-0-1 against section opponents. Hermantown earned a 2-2 tie at Cloquet on Sept. 12, but the Lumberjacks won the return meeting 3-0, evidence that the Hawks can compete with the top seed but must improve on their most recent performance.
Denfeld also holds a clear advantage in the season series, defeating Hermantown 1-0 and 2-1. Those narrow margins suggest a competitive potential rematch, but the third-seeded Hunters, who finished 10-5-1, have already demonstrated they can limit the Hawks’ attack. Second-seeded Grand Rapids finished 7-6-2, and Hermantown’s shutout victory provides a stronger basis for confidence against the defending champion.
Hermantown has overcome a lower seed before. Last season, the fifth-seeded Hawks defeated North Branch 3-1 and knocked off top-seeded Cloquet 1-0 before the overtime loss at Grand Rapids. That run gives this year’s team relevant postseason experience, particularly if another meeting with the Lumberjacks materializes.
The results point to a contender with a demanding path. Hermantown has enough scoring options to advance and a victory over Grand Rapids that demonstrates its defensive potential. To reach another championship match, however, the Hawks will need to reproduce that complete performance against opponents that have more often controlled their head-to-head meetings.
