Both the boys and girls soccer seasons ended last week on Tuesday, Oct. 11, with 50 playoff losses on the road. The sixthseeded girls played in Apple Valley against the thirdseeded Eastview Lightning, and the seventhseeded boys played the number two seed Eagan Wildcats.

Both games were eerily similar. Both opponents have very highpowered offenses and stingy defenses with a lot of quickness on the field. On the girls’ side, Eastview took a 10 lead into the half and for the boys, Eagan had a 20 lead into the half which meant that Hastings still had a good chance to earn upset wins in both games.

For the girls, it was a close, back and forth game for 65 of the 80 minutes. These kids played hard and played their hearts out and for those 65 minutes they believed they had a chance. Then Eastview scored a second goal and the flood gates opened. Within seven minutes of the second goal, the score went from 20 to 50. It was as if Eastview flipped a switch and had been toying with Hastings for 65 minutes.

Hastings suddenly looked confused, like a prize fighter in the late rounds that took a few too many shots to the head. Somehow, it was as though the players gas tanks went completely empty in the blink of an eye. When they went down 20, the Raiders made a dramatic shift in their aggressiveness, players started taking more chances which did lead to more offensive shots on goal for Hastings, but it also led to more shots and more goals for the Lightning. Two of the goals were made much easier by the overly aggressive play of the Raider defense and goalie. To their credit, it was a risk worth taking because had it paid off, Hastings could have tied the game and in the grand scheme of a playoff game, if you lose 20 or 50, does it really matter? A playoff loss is still an elimination from the playoffs and these kids can say they put every ounce of energy into trying to win that game.

The girls finished the season 331 in the conference and 673 overall, an improved season from last year’s 3122 finish. With firstyear Head Coach Paul Armstrong having completed this season and installing his plan for the Raiders, next year should be less about installation of a plan and more on the development of the kids which hopefully will translate to more successes and fun for the players.

For the boys’ side, Eagan proved to be a bit more difficult the whole game. Hastings had very few scoring chances in the first half, crossing midfield only a handful of times. It is the perennial problem for Hastings sports, being a town that is just a hair too big to be in the smaller classes and a hair to small to hang with the bigger classes unless the stars align just right. Hastings is definitely a small fish in a big pond when it comes to the sheer number of athletes to choose from for the various programs compared to many of the other schools in Class AAA.

That means that a team like Eagan had a noticeable size and speed advantage over Hastings which led to the Raiders struggling to get clean shots on the Wildcats net. The boys played hard, put their heart, soul and all they had into the loss, but just could not keep up with the number two seed, ultimately falling 50.

The boys finished the season with a 341 conference record and 3131 overall.

Freshman Olyvia Erickson looks to move the ball into the Eastview offensive zone.Photos by Bruce Karnick