Nearly just as fast as it started, the Boys Soccer season is over, but do not let the final record fool you. Yes, they finished 4-7-1 on the season. Yes, they were bumped out of the section tournament in the first round, but in high school sports, there is always more to it than the record. Let us rewind just a tad.

Wednesday, October 14th, White Bear Lake came to town as the Raiders would host their first section game in quite some time. The Raiders had earned the fourth seed in sections and White Bear Lake was the fifth seed. The game started cool and windy, then went to cool, windy and wet, then back to cool and windy. You get the idea, the weather was not cooperating for soccer fans, but it is Minnesota, so we just accept it. After the first half, White Bear Lake was ahead 1-0. With the 50 mph wind gusts at their back, the Bears took advantage in the second half, scoring two goals quickly to start the half. Eventually, Hastings would fall 5-0 ending their season.

“It was not our worst performance of the season by a lot, but it certainly wasn’t our best. When we had the wind at our back, we needed to score goals, because we knew that it would be a tough second half against it. White Bear had a solid midfield, and speedy forwards that had lethal shooting ability. As always, our guys did not give up and showed a lot of character until the final whistle. On another day, the score line may have been different, but Wednesday they were the better team. White Bear Lake is well coached, and a solid group of young men. We wish them well in their next match,” Coach Swanson said after the match.

When asked to recap the season, Coach Swanson started his email to me with, “Thank you for your time and energy spent this season.” No, thank you coach and thank you to your staff and your boys for bringing me in to the fold, giving me a hard time when I wasn’t paying attention to the field boundaries and for allowing me to have a part in telling your story this year.

Coach Swanson had a lot to say in his email about the season and I think it best to let HIM tell the rest of the story in his own words.

“Recapping the season is difficult and easy at the same time. In late July, we did not even know if the season was on. We appreciate the opportunity given by all involved in the decision-making process from the administration at Hastings High School all the way to the top of the Minnesota State High School League. I feel that sports are essential in students’ lives, and without them, the well -being of our athletes would have been compromised.

To start the season, everyone was coming from a different place emotionally and physically. Credit to Tom Brenny, Christian Waage and Shane Lanning for helping piece together a great group of guys into a family. That is what it is about in the Boys Soccer program. Everything we do is for each other. Credit to the athletes for being great teammates, and for supporting each other through tough times and the good times we had.

We measure our success over the long term, not just by the wins and losses of any particular season, but by the lasting relationships the guys have with each other that have been cultivated by time spent in the program.

When I look back at our season, I see a lot of guys who put everything on the line for each other every day we were together. When we look at it in that way, how could the season not be considered a successful one.,” Swanson said.

By Bruce Karnick