The girl’s soccer season is always a sprint, with one to two games each week from late Aug. to early Oct., they play 14 games packed into just six weeks.
On Sept. 23, the Hawks hosted the Holy Family Fire on Senior Night, their final home game of the year.
Early in the game, Chaska controlled possession and kept the ball in Holy Family’s defensive zone, setting the tone with aggressive play. With 23:27 left in the first half, however, the Fire were awarded a direct kick after a foul. From 10 yards beyond the penalty box, they lofted a shot just over the Hawk goalkeeper’s reach to take a 1–0 lead.
Chaska responded quickly. At 16:56, sophomore Madelyn Schaffer scored the equalizer off a pass from senior Addi Schneider. Schneider then gave the Hawks a 2–1 advantage with 1:42 left before halftime.
The break featured a tribute to the team’s seniors and managers. All have college plans for next year, pursuing studies ranging from ASL interpretation to actuarial science, criminal justice, physics and psychology. Exchange student Ane Ostby will return to Norway for her final year of high school.
“This being my fourth year, it’s my first group of players I’ve had all the way through. It’s bittersweet for us all. They’re great people, good footballers, and wonderful teammates,” said coach Chris Bagshaw. “They’ll do well, and it’s been great having them as part of our program.”
The Hawks carried that energy into the second half. Just 3:13 in, sophomore Eleanor Slinde intercepted a Fire pass and buried the shot to extend the lead to 3–1. From there, both teams played a balanced, possession-focused game along the edges of the pitch, showing flashes of fatigue from the condensed schedule.
“We showed good form tonight,” Bagshaw said. “Our record doesn’t fully reflect how good this team is. We play hard against everyone. I’m proud of the effort tonight and the leadership from our seniors.”
Two nights later, on Sept. 25, the Hawks traveled to St. Louis Park where the Orioles edged them 2–1. Chaska (4-5-3) closes out the regular season with matches on Sept. 30 at Orono and Oct. 2 at Coon Rapids before section play begins.
