Dress rehearsal sets up section play for EP soccer

Eden Prairie High’s boys soccer team couldn’t have asked for a better Section 2AAA Tournament dress rehearsal Oct. 7.

The Eagles traveled to Chanhassen and shut out one of their potential section rivals 3-0.

Eli Drewes’ first goal of the season got the Eagles off to a good start, then senior captain Cyrus Vargas took over with a pair of goals. There wasn’t much action for EP’s senior captain in goal, Charlie Strehl, but as usual, he turned in a stellar performance.

Injuries caused three Eden Prairie players to leave the match, but that didn’t seem to matter as long as Callum Wieland was on the field.

“Callum has been a rock on defense for us,” Eden Prairie co-head coach Jim Williams said. “He’s the quickest kid in the school and a sprinter on the track team.”

With the victory, Eden Prairie finished the regular season 11-1-2. Edina is the co-favorite in the Section 2AAA Tournament with an overall record of 13-2-0. During the regular season, Edina handed the Eagles their only loss.

Eden Prairie is the No. 1 seed, which meant the Eagles’ first-round section game was against Chanhassen Tuesday, Oct. 13. Assuming a first-round win, the semifinal game would be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, at Eden Prairie with the Eagles facing fourth seed Minnetonka or fifth seed Waconia. The finals will be Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the home field of the highest seed.

“We got the No. 1 seed over Edina, based on winning the Lake Conference title,” coach Williams said. “Edina beat us head-to-head and was slightly higher than us in the QRF rankings.”

Defense is the key to section success, according to Williams.

“We have allowed only six goals in 14 matches,” he pointed out. “And one of those was a penalty kick. We have several guys on the back line who are capable of playing all 80 minutes of the match.”

Two of them, Parker Serk and Adam Ibsais, were injured against Chanhassen, but will most likely return for section play. Sophomore defender Andrew Boulay is not as fortunate. His injury has put him on the sideline for the remainder of the season.

“Andrew was having a great season,” coach Williams said. “I feel really bad for him. He has a fractured foot.”

Eden Prairie has not needed a lot of goals to maintain its high standing this fall. Vargas leads in goals with eight and teammate Abdullah Malik has sent seven balls to the back of the net.

The X Factor for the Eagles is a dangerous senior on the wing, Lucas Perales, one of the team leaders in assists. “Lucas and Cyrus are a problem for an opponent’s defense,” coach Williams said.

“We have some other guys who can score,” the coach added. “Cyrus was snake-bit for a while, but his luck is changing, and now he’s on a heater.”

Eden Prairie has not qualified for the State Tournament since 2012 when Vince Thomas was head coach. Will this be the year the Eagles return?

“We compete well every game,” Williams said. With 17 seniors on the squad, there is a feeling this team can beat any opponent on a given night.