Hermantown's girls soccer team has won four of its last six matches, which has greatly boosted the players' confidence heading into a Section 7AA quarterfinal match against Hibbing-Chisholm at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Centricity Stadium.
"I'm really happy with how the team has been playing this final part of the season," said Hawks coach Nathan Hanson, whose team found its wings following a challenging start to the season against ultra-elite opponents. "Winning four of our last six was important for us and has given us a lot of momentum going into the playoffs."
Two of those losses, versus Cloquet and Duluth East, were against really strong opponents and "really pushed us to have that desire to play at an even higher level," Hanson said.
"I've been extremely impressed with how Kaija Markovich and Bryden Giesen continue to find the back of the net tallying 15 goals between them," continued Hanson.
As Hermantown begins section tournament play, Hanson said he is confident that his players will be looking to create even more momentum.
"To win our section and make it to the state tournament is always the goal, and these girls are ready and looking to make a deep run," he said.
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Hermantown's boys soccer team also opens Section 7AA quarterfinal play Tuesday, hosting underdog North Branch at 5 p.m. at Centricity Stadium.
The Hawks (10-3-3) defeated Duluth East and Duluth Denfeld in consecutive 2-1 home matches before the post-season.
"Owen Landrigan is still scoring for us and playing well," Hermantown boys coach David Thompson said. "We have some injuries right now. If we can resolve those, we have a solid chance to advance deep into the playoffs."