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Alexandria jumps the shorthanded East Grand Forks early to win the Section 8AA semi-finals

Senior Björn Karlstad scored a rebound goal in the penalty area less than 10 minutes after the start of the game. This was the start of another offensive breakout for the Cardinals as they won 5-0.

“The boys played very, very well,” said Alexandria’s head coach Brandon Johnson. “You played a strong possession game. They worked the ball exceptionally well through the center of the field and used the entire field. When a team comes up to you with little pressure, you have the option to raise your head, take a look, and make other tactical moves. That was an area that we really could capitalize on tonight. ”

Bryce Paffrath set up Alexandria’s second goal when he placed a perfect cross pass towards the center of the field within the 10-yard line. Holden Hansen was there when he missed from the right and hammered an early goal in the first half to make it 2-0.

Otto Anderson added a goal in the 23rd minute, where he won a race after a loose ball from near the 15-yard line and fired a shot.

Alexandria's Jack Carlson, left, fights for a loose ball in the Cardinals win over East Grand Forks in the Section 8AA quarterfinals on October 14, 2021. Lowell Anderson / Alexandria Echo Press

Alexandria’s Jack Carlson, left, fights for a loose ball in the Cardinals win over East Grand Forks in the Section 8AA quarterfinals on October 14, 2021. Lowell Anderson / Alexandria Echo Press

East Grand Forks had no substitutions on Thursday as the Green Wave was ineligible to play with only 11 players and a few players due to injuries. Alexandria’s team speed and depth are too high in this situation and the Cardinals have shown so much of the night.

The Green Wave shot a penalty in the penalty area less than 10 minutes into the second half, and Senior Tyler Bright sent the penalty into the top left corner of the net for a 4-0 lead. Colin Reilly prepared Jack Carlson a short time later with a nice through pass, which Carlson ended in the 5-0 final.

Johnson put every available player on the team into play on Thursday. He knew that a 3-0 lead at halftime was next to impossible for EGF against an Alexandria defense that averages less than half a goal (0.4) per game.

Alexandria Senior Alex Greseth comes to a ball on the sidelines in the Cardinals' 5-0 win over East Grand Forks in the Section 8AA quarter-finals on October 14, 2021. Lowell Anderson / Alexandria Echo Press

Alexandria Senior Alex Greseth comes to a ball on the sidelines in the Cardinals’ 5-0 win over East Grand Forks in the Section 8AA quarter-finals on October 14, 2021. Lowell Anderson / Alexandria Echo Press

“It was just a great night getting everyone’s feet wet,” said Johnson. “My game plan was to say to the boys, ‘It’s playoffs. It is do or die. We’re here to win and make a statement. It’s been a long time since Alex was crowned number 1 and we want to make sure we remind people why we were worth it and why we fought for that title. ”

Senior Ryan Meuwissen was back in goal in the first half to record the shutout after missing several games due to a hamstring injury sustained against Brainerd on September 23. Sophomore Grayson Grove stepped in well during this period as Alexandria never missed a stroke on the regular season route.

Grove came into play in the second half when they shared goalkeeping duties on Thursday. Neither of the two had much to do with the fact that the Green Wave never got a good look at the network. The Cardinals are happy to have a seasoned player like Meuwissen back to anchor the defense in what they hope will be a long playoff run.

“He’s a talented goalkeeper,” said Johnson. “He’s a candidate for all states, and I’m pretty confident that he’ll end up on a team for all states. He’s just an incredible candidate. Very talented.”

Alexandria senior Thomas Klecker is behind the defense of East Grand Forks in the Cardinals' 5-0 win on October 14, 2021 in the quarterfinals of the Section 8AA tournament.  Lowell Anderson / Alexandria Echo Press

Alexandria senior Thomas Klecker is behind the defense of East Grand Forks in the Cardinals’ 5-0 win on October 14, 2021 in the quarterfinals of the Section 8AA tournament. Lowell Anderson / Alexandria Echo Press

Next up for Alexandria is a semi-final game against fourth seeded Rocori on October 19th at 7pm. The Spartans scored a goal from Nate Pederson on Thursday with 1:08 remaining in first overtime against fifth-seeded Sauk Rapids-Rice on Thursday at 2. to win -1.

Alexandria defeated the Spartans (6:10) on September 28th 2-0. Johnson didn’t feel like his boys showed up as they were capable of in this regular season game. Intensity shouldn’t be a problem in the rematch with a trip to the Section 8AA championship on the track.

“It’s going to be a quick game,” said Johnson. “Tonight they are really sure of swinging the ball and moving it across the field. Now we have to take that and increase the speed we are doing by 20-30%. If we can do that, we should be able to find lots of open pass windows to hit some balls in the back of the net. These will be our critical components, quick movements and control of the pace of the game. We did a great job tonight and I think we’ll have a really good opportunity to show our strength in the Rocori match. “