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October 31, 2009

West boys exit state soccer tournament

Hermantown scores quick, ousts Scarlets

By Chad Courrier

ROSEVILLE — slideshowClick here to see a photo gallery from the Scarlet girls soccer team's quarterfinal match.



Mankato West goalkeeper Jace Leiferman came off the field and grabbed something dry.

“I can’t feel my hands,” he said, blowing into a towel.

On a brutally cold, windy, wet night, Mankato West fell to third-seeded Hermantown 5-1 in the quarterfinals of the Class A boys soccer tournament Friday. It was the most goals allowed by West this season, although there was little that the senior goalkeeper could have done to stop any of them.

“That (Charlie Comnick) is one of the best forwards we’ve seen all season,” Leiferman said. “He scored four goals, you have to be good.

“A couple of guys got beat, and I did what I could. Some days, that’s good enough. Some days, it isn’t.”

West, making its third state appearance in the last four seasons with a runner-up performance in 2006 and a third-place finish in 2007, played into a stiff wind in the first half, and Hermantown had a couple of early scoring chances. Leiferman, who received all-state honors Sunday, made quality saves, including a diving effort along the ground at the 20-minute mark.

Hermantown (21-1) scored at the 25-minute mark as Comnick connected from just to the right of Leiferman. Comnick scored again two minutes later, breaking clear of the defense and popping a shot over Leiferman from 15 yards out with a sliding kick.

Hermantown made it 3-0 with just 28 seconds remaining in the first half as Willis Kantonen carried in from the corner, past a couple of defenders, and beat Leiferman low on the short side.

“Hermantown played really well,” West coach Leonard Woelfel said. “They won the toss and took the wind, and then they scored a goal and the pressure was off.

“Then they scored again and got another before the half, and we were playing catchup the rest of the time. The field is slick, the ball is slick, and nobody wants to be out there.”

Hermantown’s attack was relentless, and Comnick scored his third goal just seven minutes into the second half, cutting in alone on Leiferman. His fourth goal came with 14 minutes to play and made it 5-0.

West’s Matthew Jacobs broke the shutout by scoring a goal with 12 seconds remaining as the Scarlets ended the season with an 18-3 record and the program’s first Big Nine Conference championship.

“You always want to win your first game and get to the (Metrodome),” Leiferman said. “But there’s a lot of teams that don’t make it this far.”

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