As students piled off buses and filed into U.S. Bank Stadium, the boys’ soccer team prepared to take on the Totino-Grace Eagles in their state tournament semifinal. The team, featuring four all-state selections (Roland Bentley ‘25, Kristian Baker ‘25, Landon Bell ‘26, and Levi Pesky ‘25) and a Mr. Soccer finalist (Baker), started off strong, controlling possession for the first eight minutes until an injury to Baker took him out of the game. A defensive battle ensued, with both sides having a couple of chances but most of the play took place at midfield. Baker returned to the game briefly, only to get hurt once again. His replacement? Angel Valdivia-Cortes ‘25, who missed the quarterfinal due to an injury sustained in the section final. However, the Eagles managed to plot a goal before the half, leaving the Bears facing a 1-0 deficit as they went into the locker room.

Totino-Grace came out of the break firing, sustaining pressure in the Bears’ third. The game quickly settled into a defensive stalemate similar to the one in the first half. However, the Bears didn’t go down without a fight. Corner kicks, missed chances, and stalled possessions dominated the half. However, the Bears had one final chance with three minutes left. A save by Bentley was followed by a punt. The ball quickly made its way to the other end, where the Bears had the chance for a corner kick to save their season. As the ball was placed in the air, the Eagles’ goalie moved forward to defend it. As he did, chaos ensued. A shot was fired at the net, the student section braced themselves for a goal, only to be stopped by an Eagles’ defender putting his body on the line to stop the Bears’ would-be-final chance. The Bears went all-in on this chance, leaving attacker Truett Dollins in a footrace against Greg Perepelitsyn ‘27. Perepelitsyn was called for a foul, setting up an Eagles free kick. Dollins capitalized on the opportunity and scored to put a heartbreaking end to the high school careers of Bentley, Charlie Moore ‘25, Agustin Catoggio ‘25, Baker, Joe Melloh ‘25, Charlie Silvestri ‘25, Pesky, Frank Guala ‘25, and Valdivia-Cortes. As his parting words, Pesky offered this advice: “Don’t take anything for granted. Make the most of your opportunities, we didn’t today.”