Southern Stars go to state in third year of existence

By Shawn Hogendorf

Staff Writer

Solid defense, teamwork, well executed plays and good passing led the Southern Stars, the adaptive soccer team to their first state tournament birth in the teams three-year existence.

“There has been more scoring, the kids understand the plays better and passing more this year,” Coach Jody Tornquist said. “This is a much more aggressive team than past year’s teams.”

Last year the Southern Stars finished the season with a 1-9 record. This year they finished 7-2-1 and won the playoff game that sent them to the state tournament at Stillwater High School on Nov. 10.

The Southern Stars are a combination of students from Prior Lake, Chaska and Shakopee high schools.

There are eight Prior Lake students on the team; five of them are on the varsity team that went to state.

 Shawn Hogendorf can be reached at (952) 345-6374 or shogendorf@swpub.com.