Fall sports seasons move fast around here. The Two Harbors girls soccer team has already wrapped up their regular season as of last week, walking off with a winning record and a roster finally drifting back toward full strength. This week, they stepped into the postseason with a team that has already weathered more than most.
The injuries began early in the season. Senior captain Raegan Hogenson went down in the first game with a knee injury that looked serious enough to threaten her soccer season and her hockey season too.
Hogenson is the type of athlete who fills her days with workouts and practices, moving from one sport to the next without much rest. When she was severely injured, the fear wasn’t just losing her for a few weeks; it may have meant missing out on her favorite sports throughout her senior year.
“She got really lucky,” Head Coach Zachary Vieau said. “She worked her way back. She finally just came back this week.”
He didn’t hide how much she means to him and the team.
“She’s got to be one of my favorite kids I’ve ever coached,” he said. “If you make a pros and cons list of a kid, she’s got no cons, not one.”
Her absence was only the beginning. The team lost five more girls over a stretch of nearly three weeks with ankle, knee, and head injuries. Soccer asks players to adjust to whatever surface they’re given. Turf one night, long grass the next, then a field with uneven dirt patches that change the feel of every step.
After years of coaching hockey, where every rink is the same, Vieau has learned how unpredictable soccer can be.
The injuries forced younger girls into varsity roles, and they handled it with a steadiness beyond their age. They’ve stepped into the defensive line and stayed there. Carley Wartman, a freshman, has been playing varsity minutes for weeks. Alexa Cavallin, who is in eighth grade, has been in the rotation all season. Loretta Tucker, a sophomore, has held her own against older forwards.
“Three of the four defenders that we’ve had play varsity all year long have been either 7th, 8th, or 9th graders,” Vieau said. “They don’t look like seniors. But they don’t look out of place.”
Their resilience showed up in the scoreboard too. Two Harbors spent much of the season starting slow, often giving up the first goal. Half of their wins and ties came after falling behind. They played the number two team in the state and gave up an early goal, then held them scoreless for the next seventy minutes.
“Their ability to not let things negatively snowball has been the reason we’re in the position we’re in,” Vieau said.
The seniors helped set that tone. All four captains — Raegan Hogenson, Reese Costley, Hayden Bright, and Ashlynn Cavallin — have known each other for more than a decade. Some are related. All are close. They’ve grown up together, played together, and now lead together.
“They’re such a close-knit group,” he said. “It’s not everybody who gets to be a captain of a sport with their best friends.”
When Hogenson was hurt, the other captains kept her included. She kept herself included too. She took on a coaching role, helping with JV, supporting teammates, staying present even when she couldn’t play.
“They’re all really unique, and they build off each other,” he said. “I’ve known them since they were seven. To watch them get older and take on that role has been really fun.”
Behind them is a junior class that might be the most talented group in the program. Lola Lundgren, Hallie Komarek, Emmy Bentler, and Kaylee Loisel have been steady contributors. And then there’s junior defender Keelie Ronning, who has played varsity defense for four years and reads the field with a coach’s eye.
“She would be the best defender on any team in the state,” he said. “Single A, AAA, AA.”
The depth is new. The numbers are new too. When Vieau started three years ago, the program had somewhere in the mid-20s. This fall, they’re at 34. Youth night two weeks ago brought the 10U and 12U teams into the stands, families bundled up and cheering, little players wide-eyed as they took a photo with the varsity girls at halftime.
“It was such a fun night,” he said. “A lot of kids dabble when they’re younger. But when you get older, you realize there are so many priorities. Work, friends, relationships, family. To keep kids in sports, you have to retain them. And I believe that’s happening.”
Part of that growth comes from continuity, part comes from culture, and part comes from the people who’ve come back to help. Assistant coach Carl Freund runs the JV team, but this year three former players returned as volunteer coaches: Nadia Swoverland, Lizzie Aug, and Savannah Lundgren. All were captains, and all bring a steady, positive presence.
“It’s fun to see players you’ve coached step into a coaching world,” he said.
The girls love having them around. The coaches love having them around. And for a head coach with four young children and a full-time job, the help has mattered.
“It’s been a relief,” he said. “Not just for me, but for the girls too.”
Now comes the postseason. For the first time all year, they’re nearly whole. Monday’s playoff opener was only the second game this season with the full varsity roster available. The biggest focus this week is simply getting used to playing together again. They’ve mixed and matched lineups for months. They’ve patched holes and shifted roles. Now they want continuity.
“At this point in the year, we’re not really learning much,” Vieau said. “We’re just fixing a few little mistakes, sharpening some things, and relying on everything we’ve done.”
The team went into the playoffs in the 4 seed spot, and they’ve earned it. He wants them to feel that.
“They should continue doing everything that’s got us here,” he said.
Vieau expressed gratitude for the coaches and volunteers, but also for the players and their families.
“I would just say how appreciative I am of the families and the kids,” he said. “It’s been a wonderful, wonderful experience coaching the team. I’m excited to continue it into the rest of the year and into next season.”
The Mariners’ Section 7A firstround matchup against Proctor was set for Monday, October 12, on the Agates’ home field. The Rails came in with a 1-2-1 conference record, and both teams were ready to get the postseason underway before heavy rain forced the game to be postponed. Play resumed the following afternoon, and we’ll report on results in an upcoming issue once the full details are in.
