Girls soccer: Mounds View turns back Ponies in state quarterfinals

SPRING LAKE PARK — After outlasting Stillwater for the conference title, Mounds View also denied the Ponies a trip to U.S. Bank Stadium after prevailing with a 2-1 victory in the Class AAA state quarterfinals on Thursday, Oct. 29 at Spring Lake Park High School. The fifth-seeded Mustangs (17-2-1) jumped out to a two-goal lead early in the second half and withstood strong pressure from Stillwater to earn a spot in the semifinals. Mounds View moved on to face top-seeded Lakeville North (15-1-2) in the semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 7, with the winner to meet either third-seeded Eagan (14-2-3) or seventh-seeded Duluth East (15-4-1) in the finals on Saturday morning. The reigning state champion Ponies, who graduated 17 seniors from that squad, finished the season with a 15-3-2 record. “If you had asked me before the season we would go 15-3-2, I’d take that in a heartbeat,” Ponies coach Mike Huber said. “But once you get to that point where you could have or should have won, it stings a little more.” Stillwater held an 11-6 advantage in shots on goal, but were unable to dig out of a 2-0 deficit. With just four players on the field from last