Sondag’s Golden Goal sends Wildcats to final

STATE BOYS SOCCER: CLASS 3A SEMIFINAL >> EAGAN 1, MINNEAPOLIS WASHBURN 0, 2OT

They’ll face Maple Grove for championship

Eagan midfielder Jake Sondag (8) scores the winning goal as his shot goes past Washburn goalkeeper Henry Johnson during the second overtime of their Class 3A semifinal on Wednesday morning at U.S. Bank Stadium. CRAIG LASSIG — SPECIAL TO THE PIONEER PRESS PHOTOS

Eagan midfielder Elliot Walthour (8) screens out Washburn defender Ryan Josephson during the first overtime Wednesday in Minneapolis.

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By Mike Cook

Special to the Pioneer Press

Addressing the media about 10 minutes after their semifinal win, some Eagan Wildcats were still in awe of what transpired Wednesday morning.

“My heart is just through the roof right now,” said Asher Brunette. “It’s like a mixture of excited and just nervous, kind of.”

“The adrenaline rush after that goal is nuts. It’s unbelievable,” Blake Prouty added.

And from Jake Sondag? “I can’t even process that we’re going to the final.”

But the Wildcats are. For the first time in school history.

It was Sondag’s Golden Goal with 4:21 left in double overtime that lifted Eagan past Minneapolis Washburn 1-0 in a Class 3A boys soccer semifinal at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Winners off 11 straight games, the fourth-seeded Wildcats (19-1-1) will be back in downtown Minneapolis for Friday’s 8 a.m. final to face No. 2 Maple Grove, which beat Andover 3-1 in the other semifinal.

“It’s been our dream senior season,” said Syon Thapa.

With a run down the right side, Sondag beat his defender into the box, and his centering pass found leading scorer Eric Noll in front. His shot was stopped; however, Sondag raced in to poke the loose ball across the line and set off a celebration near the USA-themed student section.

Something emphasized to Sondag and other Eagan strikers all season is to follow the shot, because you never know what could happen.

“Our production has gone way up this year, so just making the keeper nervous,” said Prouty, a Class 3A Mr. Soccer finalist.

“We just kind of got lost a little bit, and it ended up just rolling across the line,” said Washburn coach Aaron Percy. “It was a tough way to go out for sure.”

In 50 years of the state high school soccer tournament, a Minneapolis public school has yet to hoist championship hardware. The Millers (15-1-3) came oh so close to having that opportunity in their first appearance since 2019.

Washburn nearly ended the game in the first overtime, but shots from Julian Brower-Snelson and Lucas Neu hit the right post just seconds apart.

“It was two really good teams playing each other for almost 20 extra minutes, and sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce the way you want it to,” Percy said.

Both teams had excellent chances in the second half to break the scoreless deadlock.

Washburn goalkeeper Henry Johnson made a diving fingertip save to deflect a Zayan Oliyath shot wide in the 52nd minute, and a scramble off a subsequent corner kick ended with the ball trickling just wide. A Noll strike from 20 yards out was just high a few minutes later.

Then it was the Millers’ turn.

Eagan goalkeeper Zachary Roxas dove left to tip a shot away before a loose ball in the box with two Millers on the doorstep was cleared by a Wildcats defender in the 73rd minute.

A redirect by Ryan Josephson off a corner kick with two minutes left was stopped by Roxas.

The Wildcats have allowed just nine goals this season.