Erickson's Goal Lifts Eastview Past Apple Valley

A boisterous mob of blue and black clad students mobbed sophomore Pierce Erickson as he left the field Thursday—a crew not yet willing to let their hero disappear into the night.

About 30 minutes earlier, it was Erickson who corralled a rebound, fired a shot on goal and netted the decisive score in the Lightning boys soccer team’s 1-0 win over in the Section 3AA semifinal.

So it’s no surprise the Lightning mob patiently awaited Erickson before chanting his name, picking him up and carrying him away.

“It was just amazing,” Erickson said of the goal. “Just an amazing feeling. I can’t describe it.”

The win puts Eastview in the section championship with a chance to reach state for the first time in school history. The Lightning will face Eagan on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Park High School in Cottage Grove.

But it didn’t come easy.

In fact, Erickson’s goal foiled a spotlight-stealing performance by Apple Valley’s (11-6-1) defense and, particularly, senior goalkeeper Josh Rosenthal.

Rosenthal was virtually everywhere in net, and his defense was equally strong in keeping the game scoreless through 38 minutes of play.

“Of course we’re disappointed—we wanted to win,” Rosenthal said. “But that was probably the best game we’ve played all year. It was good to see us go out on a note where we did the best we could.”

Both teams had their offensive opportunities, but it was Eastview (17-0-1) that piled up more chances. In the end, a rebound from a Mathew Gweh kick found its way to Erickson’s foot, and with 22:35 to play he found the net.

“We are by no means a one trick pony,” Eastview coach Scott Gustafson said. “We have lots of options and players. It was nice to see someone else get the win for us tonight. Pierce has come on strong and gotten some key goals for us as we run into the playoffs here.”

Now, the Lightning have five days to prepare for its most important task yet—reaching the state tournament.

It’s a mission this unbeaten team isn’t taking lightly.

“It would be the biggest thing in the world,” Erickson said. “We’d do it for all the hard work we’ve done, and all the Eastview teams before us that paved the way for us.”

Eastview girls advance to finals

The Eastview girls soccer team used a pair of goals from two seniors to advance to the Section 3AA championship game.

Seniors Taryn MacMillan and Leah Nesheim each scored to give the Lightning a 2-0 win over Apple Valley on Tuesday at Eastview High School. The Lightning will face Eagan on Tuesday at Park High School in Cottage Grove. Game time is set for 5 p.m.

The win puts Eastview at 12-2-4 on the year. Apple Valley finished the season at 6-10-2.