As the temperature turns colder, the intensity of the boys’ soccer season cranks up to maximum. The Bears made the state tournament for the first time since 2019 by dominating three straight opponents, not allowing a single goal in any of their section games.
The team left no doubt about their status as the #1 seed in the section following their first game against Minneapolis Camden, according to head coach Tamba Johnson. “We’re the #1 seed for a reason, we played like it,” Johnson said. The result was an 8-0 victory, with Joe Melloh ‘25, Charlie Silvestri ‘25, Oliver Brown ‘27 (twice), Landon Bell ‘26 (twice), Maxwell Friedell ‘28, and Francesco Guala ‘25 scoring in a game that was never close. All three goalies, Roland Bentley ‘25, Sam Morris ‘29, and John Heinmiller ‘27, played a part in the victory, as each of them played in the victory. Kristian Baker ‘25 was confident after the victory, saying “one [win] down, five to go.”
The team followed that game up with a 2-0 win against DeLaSalle on the backs of Silvestri and Bell’s goals and a Bentley full-game shutout before preparing for their final game against Benilde. DeLaSalle ended the Bears’ season last year in the section championship by a familiar 2-0 score. That was the second year DeLaSalle beat the team in the section playoffs. Angel Valdivia-Cortes ‘25, who was on the team the last two seasons, said “they finished the careers of some of my favorite teammates, like Ben Fox ‘24. So just finally beating them, getting over that hump. It was just an amazing feeling.”
As students enjoyed their long weekend, the team set their sights on state, but one obstacle stood in their way: The Benilde-St. Margaret’s Red Knights. The Bears spent most of the game on the attack, culminating in a bycicle kick assist by Bell to Melloh that silenced the Red Knights crowd. Bentley held off a Benilde attack in the final minute to seal the win and send the Bears back to state. “We’re not surprised by the result, but it really was just an amazing feeling. Couldn’t have done it with a better group. You know, everything, all the struggles…all the hard practices all day to that moment, I wouldn’t change anything about it,” Valdivia-Cortes said.
The team had a few days off before their state quarterfinal against the Cloquet/Esko/Carlton Lumberjacks in White Bear Lake. The Lumberjacks traveled two hours for a state doubleheader, with their girls’ team falling to Orono in penalty kicks, delaying the Bears’ match by 45 minutes. Once the game started, the Bears immediately put the pressure on, culminating in goals by Melloh and Silvestri in the first half. After the break, the team came out strong, with an early goal by Catoggio to give the Bears a 3-0 lead. The Lumberjacks cut it down to two with a goal off of a free kick, but Catoggio put another one in the back of the net for another three-goal lead. The Lumberjacks would score one more, but some great saves by Bentley and consistent ball control from the whole team led to a 4-2 victory and a date against Totino-Grace at U.S. Bank Stadium on Oct. 30. “No matter who we play, we’ve got the best defense in the state,” Catoggio said.
