ST. PAUL — The Esko girls soccer team won bronze again, beating Watertown-Mayer 2-1 in the third-place match Friday, Nov. 6, in St. Paul.
It's the team's third-straight third-place finish; they tied for third with St. Cloud Cathedral in 2025 and placed third in 2024.
Esko earned the top seed in the tournament this year but was upset 1-0 by No. 5 St. Croix Prep in the semifinals.
They beat No. 8 Cannon Falls 2-0 in the first round.
Three other Northland teams qualified for state but were eliminated in the quarterfinals:
- Grand Rapids boys lost 3-2 after a 6-5 shootout against No. 3 Cretin-Derham Hall
- Cloquet girls lost 7-0 to No. 1 Blake
- Hermantown boys lost 4-0 to No. 3 Breck
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The Hibbing, Park Rapids and Wadena Deer-Creek boys teams and the Crosby-Ironton and Hermantown girls teams also qualified, along with over 30 more student-athletes from across the Northland. -
Rock Ridge's Ellie Dimberio was the singles consolation champion. In 1A, Pequot Lakes finished sixth, as did Staples-Motley's Madison and Kaylee Perius. -
The Esko girls earned the top seed, and the Cloquet girls qualified after being upset in the section tournament in 2025.
