The final week of the regular season brought grit, effort, and a glimpse of what is ahead for the Hastings Raiders varsity soccer teams. Both squads closed out Metro East Conference play at home, each facing the perennial powerhouse Mahtomedi, before turning their focus toward postseason competition.
On Wednesday, October 2, the boys kicked off the evening doubleheader, battling a sharp Mahtomedi side that came in firing. The Zephyrs scored three times in the opening 15 minutes, with two goals from Maximilian Pollock and another from Samuel Beulke. Hastings junior Cole Ebeling put the Raiders on the board with a strong finish midway through the half, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome in a 3 to 1 loss.
The shots told the story, as Mahtomedi peppered the Raiders’ defense with 23 attempts, while Hastings managed seven. Still, head coach Jamie Swanson saw plenty to like in how his team responded.
“We responded pretty well in the second half,” Swanson said after the game. “Made a couple of adjustments that seemed to help us out a little bit. After being down 3 to 1 within 15 minutes, I wasn’t displeased at how it finished.”
Hastings tightened up defensively after halftime, holding Mahtomedi to just a handful of chances.
“If you can keep a team to one or two decent opportunities, we have a great keeper and he is going to make those saves,” Swanson added. “Maybe another five or ten minutes, we get one more, and that is really a game.”
Two nights later, the Raiders returned to their home pitch for Senior Night and the regular season finale against Forest Lake. The visiting Rangers scored twice to secure a 2 to 0 win, sending Hastings into the postseason with a seventh seed ranking in Class 3AAA according to Minnesota Scores. The Raiders will travel to face number two seed Eagan at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
“It looks more likely than not it will be Eagan again,” Swanson said. “It is like three out of the last five years. At least it is a familiar opponent. We are hoping to get healthy in the next few days. We have guys with bumps and concussions; it is like an ambulance ride every time we take the pitch. If we can get one or two players back, we will be closer to normal.”
While the boys’ week ended with two losses, the effort level never dipped, and the group now shifts its focus to playoff survival mode. As Swanson noted, “We are going to tidy up the little things and hopefully remember them on Tuesday.”
The girls’ varsity team also faced Mahtomedi on October 2, closing their regular season under the lights. Hastings played a tight first half before the Zephyrs pulled away with a 2 to 0 win behind goals from Anneliese Ulschmid and Lola Dambowy. The Raiders kept pace in shots, 12 to 10, but could not break through against a disciplined Mahtomedi defense.
Despite the loss, the Hastings girls earned the number two seed in the Class 3AA section bracket, a testament to their consistency all season. Their final regular season matchup with North St. Paul was ruled a forfeit win after the Polars were unable to play, sealing the Raiders’ strong finish in conference standings.
Now they will turn their attention to the playoffs, set to host Twin Cities Academy in the opening round. The matchup offers a chance for Hastings to lean on the defensive structure and offensive depth that carried them through the fall.
Both Raider squads end the regular season proud, tested, and ready for postseason soccer. The boys, ranked seventh in 3AAA, and the girls, sitting second in 3AA, now face the part of the year where every touch counts and every goal could mean a season extended or ended.
As the temperature drops and the lights burn a little brighter, Hastings soccer enters October with confidence, resilience, and plenty of belief that the best is still ahead.
Looking ahead, the Raiders boys will have already faced Eagan on Tuesday night by the time this hits the stands, with hopes of extending their season against one of the state’s top seeds. The girls, meanwhile, take center stage Wednesday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. at home, opening section play against Twin Cities Academy. Both teams have fought through injuries, close calls, and a demanding schedule to reach this point, and now every kick carries the weight of the season. For Hastings fans, it is the best time of year, when every game could be a new story waiting to be written.