GIRLS SOCCER

Bemidji Youth Soccer fosters consistency, continuity and culture

Jared Rubado — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 16:06:29 GMT

BEMIDJI — Every 45 minutes on a typical warm, sunny Saturday in late May, the echoes of an air horn can be heard through the air near Bemidji High ��.

It’s time for eight more games to commence.

Bemidji Youth Soccer has hosted its six-on-six tournament, the Bemidji 6V6, for over a decade. On its surface, it’s a laid-back, family-friendly youth sporting event at a low cost with lower stakes. While that’s by the design of program directors Jeff Mitchell and Rick Toward, it’s helped infuse a culture that’s carrying over generations as former program players now guide their kids through their past footsteps.

“The club has given us the flexibility that not every sport gets to have,” Toward said. “Our 19s team, our oldest team, will essentially be our varsity team. It’s not going to exclusively be that, but a lot of those kids get to play together all summer. That’s an advantage we have over a lot of (Twin Cities) teams, where kids all break up and play for their own clubs.”

Toward, who will enter his 31st season as head coach of the BHS boys soccer team, with Mitchell by his side as a valued assistant, sees the benefit in the continuity Bemidji provides in its coaching.

Players are taught the fundamentals and systems that are used at the boys and girls varsity levels. Toward is using his “same message, different voice” approach to find his leg up on programs that have more players to pull from.

“Our guys get to play together all year long, and there’s an advantage to that,” he added. “Those teams have a depth of talent we will never reach, and that’s their advantage. We have to make do with what we have.

“What grows our program is we are seamless between club soccer and high school soccer. The voice you get in the season is the voice you’re getting in high school. … The success you see in the high school programs and the club’s growth are correlated. It’s a strategy we use in how we approach kids and their development.”

What Bemidji Youth Soccer has is consistency.

Every summer, parents can pencil in four tournaments and the Bemidji 6V6 held at the end of May. Regardless of age, Bemidji teams travel the same places on the same weekends.

“We don’t split up our tournaments,” Mitchell said. “If you have a kid who’s 8 and another who’s 16, they play at the same tournaments. You don’t have to choose which parent goes with which kid, and that’s important for a lot of families. You’re all in one place.”

BYS plays in tournaments around the state, from Grand Forks down to the metro area. So Saturdays like the Bemidji 6V6 give the locals a chance to stay local.

Forty-one teams competed in the Bemidji 6V6, with over 400 players in levels U9 to U19. Each block includes 45 minutes. All games start and end at the same time with the help of an air horn.

The Bemidji 6V6 features Lumberjacks of the past and future, and then some. It is not a requirement that a player needs to be signed up for organized soccer to compete, paving the way for BHS athletes in other sports to lace up their cleats.

It also gives recently graduated Lumberjacks one more chance to play at home. Kids in club soccer can play until they turn 20, meaning the newly-minted alumni can compete the summer after they graduate.

The Bemidji 6V6 ultimately serves as a fundraising effort for BYS. Each road tournament can cost anywhere from $8,000 to $9,000 for the traveling 15-16 Bemidji teams. The Bemidji 6V6 helps fortify the BYS sum, while also going toward funding soccer for underprivileged players.

“The first money that comes out of the pot goes to players who can’t afford the full registration,” Mitchell said. “This covers that cost and the cost for scholarships. … I’d say about $3,000 of that will go toward scholarships for players and jerseys for players who can’t afford them, and so on.”

Ultimately, BYS is a cyclical program. Once players reach the varsity level, they begin serving as coaches for the youngest age groups BYS offers.

Toward attributes the cycle to the culture of soccer at all ages in Bemidji.

“It’s a big part of it,” he said. “It’s stuff like this. It’s also stuff like our rec program on Tuesdays and Thursdays, where we have 250 kids, 4-8 years old, over at the complex. The vast majority of the coaches are high school kids. Harper (Toward) used to play rec as a kid, then coached rec in high school and now is a coach in the club.

“We’re seeing that second generation come through, and that’s part of the environment Jeff and I worked hard to create. We’re a family-friendly organization.”

While it’s too late to register for the BYS program for the summer of 2025, registration opens in late July for 2026. For more information, visit bemidjiyouthsoccer.org.

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Lumberjacks shutout by St. Michael-Albertville in Section 8-3A semifinals

Pioneer Staff Report — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 22:54:47 GMT

ST MICHAEL – The Bemidji High �� girls soccer team’s season came to a close in the Section 8-3A semifinals Saturday afternoon, as St. Michael-Albertville shutout the Lumberjacks for a 2-0 victory.

St. Michael-Albertville, the No. 2 seed, scored two goals in the first half to knock off the No. 3 Jacks and advance to the finals.

Belle Leland struck first for the Knights, converting on a shot from the right to the back-left post in the seventh minute. Emma Kvant tacked on another goal on a breakaway in the 36th minute to give STMA a comfortable two-goal lead.

Bemidji notched five shots on the day, but none got past the Knights’ Brynn Hedberg, who earned a clean sheet.

On the other side of the pitch, BHS goalkeeper Clara Bieber collected eight saves for the Lumberjacks.

St. Michael-Albertville 2, Bemidji 0

BEM 0 0 – 0

SMA 2 0 – 2

Bemidji – No scoring.

St. Michael-Albertville – Leland 7’; Kvant 36’.

Saves – Bieber (BHS) 8; Hedberg (SMA) 5.

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Jacks’ early goal, stout defense secures Section 8-3A quarterfinal win over Sartell

Jared Rubado — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 04:30:09 GMT

BEMIDJI – If you told Addy McCrady a year ago that she’d be a difference maker on the Bemidji High �� girls soccer team’s back line in a Section 8-3A playoff game, she wouldn’t have believed you.

She might not have believed you if you told her that three months ago either.

“I’m new, I’ve never played defense before,” McCrady said. “It’s my first year.”

McCrady didn’t look like a rookie defender on Thursday night at Chet Anderson Stadium. Instead, she and her defending compatriots – Alivia Thompson and Matjea Malterud – looked like seasoned professionals in the third-seeded Lumberjacks’ 1-0 win over No. 6 Sartell to advance to the section semifinals.

“In a game that was chaotic, they held down their roles,” Logan Larsen said. “They kept their shape, for the most part. ... In a game that was mostly out of our control, our defense controlled it.”

Larsen pitched the idea for McCrady to move out of her previous role to defense before the season. It was a conversation that gave her pause.

“I was a little scared when he brought it up to me, honestly,” McCrady said. “It takes a different mindset to play defense, and I’d never done that before. But I was ready for a new challenge on the team. … The mindset of having to drop back instead of keeping forward with the team was hard at first.”

Now, with over a dozen games at defense on her resume, McCrady is settled in.

“Oh, I’m way more comfortable now,” she said emphatically. “Like 110% more comfortable than I did before.”

The comfortability showed as BHS protected a 1-0 lead for 78 minutes.

With under 10 minutes left, the Lumberjacks’ back line made life easy on keeper Clara Bieber. Malterud, Thompson and McCrady chased down Kennedi Gack in the midfield to force a bad-angle shot. On an ensuing corner kick, Bieber made her biggest save of the night, jumping to pull down a header from Lillian Breitkreutz.

Those were the only two shots Bemidji surrendered on Thursday night.

“It speaks a lot to her attitude that the team is the most important to her,” Larsen said of McCrady’s willingness to change positions. “Of course, she still wants a goal. Like every defender, she wants to be a forward, but she’s embraced that role and hasn’t complained once.”

Bemidji couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. The Jacks launched three shots on Sartell keeper Brynn Darling less than two minutes into the contest. The first was from Stella Schoonover, then Kate Corradi took a second shot off a rebound.

The third time was the charm for Mya Thompson. She cleaned up the chaos in the box to put Bemidji ahead 1-0 in the second minute with an assist from Corradi.

Thompson, a freshman, picked a good time for her first varsity goal.

“It was huge, obviously,” Larsen said. “It’s the goal that makes the win. It was one second of composure that came from a freshman while everybody was trying to bang around. She put one hard pass on the ground, and that’s what made the whole game.”

Bemidji’s first home game this season was against Sartell, a contest in which the Lumberjacks won 4-1, snapping a five-game losing streak against the Sabres.

With a Section 8-3A semifinal match against No. 2 St. Michael-Albertville on deck, Wednesday was a fitting way for BHS to wrap up home competition for the season. The Knights defeated No. 7 Moorhead to earn a second home game in the Section 8-3A Tournament.

“The challenge we had when we initially played them is they possess so well front to back,” Larsen said. “Their defense can pass to their keeper to spread us out. We’ve had to develop a whole better shape to not get thinned out. They have a forward who set the state record for the (400-meter run), and that’s not their only strength up top.”

Larsen added that having speed on his defensive unit will help combat STMA’s skilled forward group. The Jacks are eying their first trip to state since 2019.

“Our team is very excited,” McCrady said. “ We actually made a poster that says ‘State’ on it. It’s our goal for this season, and we all signed it, we all put our will in it. We want this to be our year and make it to state. We’re all determined to get there.”

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Bemidji girls, boys soccer teams take conference title-winning seasons into sections

Pioneer Staff Report — Mon, 07 Oct 2024 20:38:43 GMT

BEMIDJI – There will be at least two more Bemidji High �� soccer games at Chet Anderson Stadium this fall.

The BHS girls, fresh off of winning their third straight Lakes to Prairie Conference title, were voted as the No. 3 seed in Section 8-3A. The Lumberjacks will host No. 6 Sartell (10-5-0, 2-5-0 8-3A) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at Bemidji State.

The Jacks beat the Sabres 4-1 in their home opener on Aug. 24 at Bemidji Middle ��. Bemidji finished with a regular-season record of 8-6-1 and went 3-2-0 in 8-3A play.

Buffalo (10-1-5, 4-0-1 8-3A) earned the top seed and will host No. 8 Sauk Rapids-Rice (3-11-1, 0-3-0). Second-seeded St. Michael-Albertville (11-4-1, 6-0-1 8-3A) welcomes No. 7 Moorhead (6-10-0, 1-7-0 8-3A) to town, while No. 4 Brainerd (12-3-1, 3-2-1 8-3A) hosts fifth-seeded Elk River (6-7-3, 2-2-1 8-3A).

The first two rounds of the girls Section 8-3A Tournament will be hosted by the highest seeds. The semifinals will be played on Saturday, Oct. 12, with the high-seed host championship game being played on Oct. 15.

The Bemidji boys soccer team also takes a conference crown into sections. The Lumberjacks were awarded the No. 2 seed on Monday morning.

The Lumberjacks head into sections with a record of 11-3-2 and a section mark of 5-1-1. BHS will host No. 7 Brainerd (4-8-3, 1-6-1 8-3A) at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10.

Buffalo picked up the top seed with an unbeaten section record of 4-0-2 (9-3-4 overall) and will host No. 8 Sauk Rapids-Rice (7-7-1, 0-3-0 8-3A). Two-time defending champion STMA (6-7-3, 6-1-0) is the third-seeded team and will host No. 6 Moorhead (4-8-4, 1-6-0 8-3A), while fourth-seeded Sartell (8-6-1, 3-3-0 8-3A) takes on Elk River (4-8-4, 1-1-1 8-3A).

All quarterfinal games will be played on Thursday, with the semifinals being hosted by the highest remaining seeds on Tuesday, Oct. 15. The 8-3A title game is hosted by the high seed on Thursday, Oct. 17.

Both the Bemidji girls and boys soccer teams earned the highest seedings in their respective program histories since moving up to Class 3A.

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Alivia Thompson scores 2, Bemidji comfortably defeats Detroit Lakes

Pioneer Staff Report — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 02:25:30 GMT

DETROIT LAKES – The Bemidji High �� girls soccer team scored four goals in the first half and tacked on one more in the second to comfortably defeat Detroit Lakes on the road Thursday evening.

Alivia Thompson netted the first two goals of the night, scoring in the fourth and seventh minutes, with assists from Kate Corradi on both.

Thompson added an assist to the stat sheet on the Lumberjacks’ third goal, scored by Raeghan Baird in the 15th minute.

Evie Ekhoff added one more goal to Bemidji’s first-half lead in the 34th minute, cashing in on a give-and-go from Stella Schoonover.

The Jacks’ fifth and final goal of the night was an own goal in the 69th minute.

Hayden Seitz and Clara Bieber split goaltending duties for Bemidji’s clean sheet in net.

Bemidji 5, Detroit Lakes 0

BEM 4 1 – 5

DL 0 0 – 0

Bemidji – Thompson 4’ (Corradi); Thompson 7’ (Corradi); Baird 15’ (Thompson); Ekhoff 34’ (Schoonover); Own goal 69’.

Detroit Lakes – No scoring.

Saves – Beiber (BEM) 0; Seitz (BEM) 0; Rufer (DL) 4; Seuntjens (DL) 5.

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Lumberjacks held scoreless in loss to Grand Rapids

Pioneer Staff Report — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 03:54:01 GMT

GRAND RAPIDS – The Bemidji High �� girls soccer team couldn’t quite find a way past goalkeeper Maggie Maclean in a 2-0 loss in Grand Rapids Tuesday evening.

Maclean made nine saves on the night. Lumberjacks' goalkeeper Clara Bieber made six on the other side of the field for the Lumberjacks.

Taelyn Cash’s clean-up rebound gave Grand Rapids a lead just six minutes in. An own goal after a crosser from Ava Limberg tacked on another goal in the 43rd minute for the Thunderhawks.

Grand Rapids 2, Bemidji 0

BEM 0 0 – 0

GR 1 1 – 2

Bemidji – No scoring.

Grand Rapids – Cash 6’ (Cargill); Own goal 43’.

Saves – Bieber (BEM) 6, M. Maclean (GR) 9.

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Clara Bieber earns 12 saves, Bemidji blanked in road loss to Duluth East

Pioneer Staff Report — Sun, 29 Sep 2024 01:10:37 GMT

DULUTH – The Bemidji High �� girls soccer team couldn’t crack Duluth East’s defense in a 2-0 loss on Saturday.

Goalkeeper Clara Bieber did her best to keep the game within reach, making 10 saves in the first half and two in the second.

Duluth East opened scoring in the 29th minute on a cross from the right and tacked onto its lead later on in the 76th with a breakaway shot.

Duluth East 2, Bemidji 0

BEM 0 0 – 2

DE – 1 1 – 2

Bemidji – No scoring.

Duluth East – Schipper 29’ (Friday); Kuettel 76’.

Saves – Bieber (BEM) 12; Winesett (DE) 2.

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Lumberjacks shut down Warriors in section contest

Conrad Engstrom — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 02:40:28 GMT

BRAINERD — The Bemidji Lumberjacks scored a goal in each half to steal a 2-0 Section 8-3A victory over the Brainerd Warriors Thursday, Sept. 26, at Adamson Field.

Bemidji held a 12-8 shots-on-goal advantage and Isabel Renn scored with 6:52 left in the first half to give the Lumberjacks momentum into halftime.

“Confidence makes a difference in any game and I think that goal gave us a little push,” Bemidji head coach Logan Larsen said.

Warriors’ head coach Grant Gmeinder liked the effort his team showed despite the loss.

“Bemidji is a team that pressures really hard and really high up the field,” Gmeinder said. “They were going to make it tough on us to move the ball and find passes. For sure that whole first half, I thought we were frantic and did not handle their pressure as well as we could. Overall, I thought we held them pretty well and they did not get many great scoring chances.”

The turning point in the second half came when Lilly DeRosier was handed two yellow cards in the span of four minutes, which resulted in a red card and left the Warriors a player short for the final 18:06.

“It was unfortunate tonight that the red card happened,” Gmeinder said. “Certainly not something I think that was deserved, but also not something that we can control. I just love the way our girls still competed after the red card. I definitely thought it was closer than a 2-0 game.”

It did not take long for the Lumberjacks to capitalize on the player advantage as Kate Corradi scored a goal with 15:26 left to make it 2-0.

“Brainerd pressed harder and changed their back formation a little to load the top, so we still had to go against a tough defense,” Larsen said.

Brainerd’s Chloe Patrick stopped 10 shots and Bemidji goalkeeper Clara Bieber notched eight saves.

“Brainerd played very well, so a lot of the game came down to those 50-50 balls and the extra effort made in tight spaces and tight touches,” Larsen said. “It was a very tight game.”

Larsen said the win over Brainerd gets the Lumberjacks closer to hosting a playoff game for the first time in school history when playing in Class 3A.

“I’m looking forward to seeing if we get that opportunity,” Larsen said.

The Warriors play the loser of Duluth East and Irondale at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, in Duluth East. Brainerd is back home against Alexandria Tuesday, Oct. 1.

“I think our girls are excited to have all these games in a row,” Gmeinder said. “We’ve had a little bit of a lull with homecoming and a couple of less competitive games. They will be ready for Saturday.”

Bemidji 2, Brainerd 0

BEM 1 1 — 2 BRD 0 0 — 0

Bemidji — Renn 33'; Corradi 65'.

Brainerd — No scoring.

Saves — Bieber (BEM) 8; Patrick (BRD) 10.

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Senior Day blowout win strengthens Bemidji’s reign over Lakes to Prairie Conference

Jared Rubado — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 01:23:35 GMT

BEMIDJI – Logan Larsen made a last-second switch.

In the 49th minute of the Bemidji High �� girls soccer team’s game against Pelican Rapids on Monday, the Lumberjacks were awarded a penalty kick. Kate Corradi, the typical taker for BHS, was lined up to boot another until she heard her head coach’s voice from the sideline.

Larsen signaled for a change as to who would take the kick. He gestured for Emma Stay to stand in Corradi’s place, hoping to give the senior a chance to score her first varsity goal on Senior Day.

Stay left no doubt.

“She’s been playing soccer for years,” Larsen said. “I’ve coached her since she was in U12, and it was just good to see her have a moment.”

Stay took a shot and ripped it to the right of the Vikings’ keeper, giving the Jacks a 5-1 lead.

“I kind of just told myself it was going to go in,” Stay said. “It was such a relief when it did.”

Stay’s goal was part of Bemidji’s 11-2 win over Pelican Rapids (5-4-0). It was a win that clinched the Lakes to Prairie Conference championship for a third consecutive year.

“I think it’s always a great building point,” Larsen said. “It lends itself to confidence before sections and shows longevity. … We have a great group returning next year, which means we should win the conference again and still have Stella (Schoonover), Reaghan (Baird) and all of those players after that. We should be going strong for years, and winning the conference is our building point before sections.”

Every one of the available Lumberjacks players got to play, including all three goalkeepers. Eight different players scored in the title-clinching win.

For Bemidji’s six seniors, all of them started on the pitch together.

“It’s really exciting to play with this team because we’ve been together for so long,” Corradi said. “We’ve been winning together a lot, so it’s just fun to see it come through on a day like this for us. … We’ve all had a connection with each other for years, so it was fun to all play together.”

Despite it being Senior Day, a sophomore broke open the scoring. Baird cleaned up the mess in front of the Pelican Rapids goal in the 15th minute, hammering home the first of the game with an assist from Stay.

It only took one more minute for a senior to enter the goal column. Corradi finished off a beautiful pass from Imrie Mistic deep in the 18-yard box for her 10th goal this season.

Corradi dished out her first assist of the night three minutes later, feeding a cross to Izzy Renn to give the Jacks a 3-0 lead.

On an evening filled with reasons to celebrate for the Bemidji faithful, junior Evie Ekhoff gave the Lumberjacks another. She scored her first varsity goal in the 23rd minute, booting in a pass from Holly Snobl from just outside of the penalty area.

BHS (6-3-1) scored seven goals in the second half. Corradi added a second in the 62 minute after Stay’s penalty kick strike, then Kayce Christenson scored two more before Miika Novak made it 9-2 in the 69th minute.

Exactly how the gme started, Larsen put all of his seniors back on the pitch in the final minutes, which meant Corradi got a chance to go for her first career hat trick. She got the look she wanted in the 79th minute, finishing off a trio of goals with an unassisted strike.

“I wanted it really bad,” Corradi said.

“We wanted to see if Logan would take off his hat if she got it,” Stay added.

“I really wanted him to throw his hat on the field,” Corradi said with a laugh.

Liv Thompson added another in the final minute for good measure, capping off a nine-goal win and an unbeaten 4-0-1 record against Lakes to Prairie opponents.

Monday night was the final time the Jacks’ six seniors took the field at Bemidji Middle ��. BHS has one more regular-season home game on Oct. 5 against Rogers at Bemidji State, with any potential Section 8-3A Tournament home games also likely being played at Chet Anderson Stadium.

“We’ve all played together since literally the U9 team,” Stay said. “It’s just been a long time coming, but it’s good. It’s bittersweet playing the last game at the middle school. It was really special.”

Bemidji 11, Pelican Rapids 2

PR 1 1 – 2

BHS 4 7 – 11

Bemidji – Baird 15’ (Stay); Corradi 16’ (Mistic), 62’, 79’; Renn 19’ (Corradi); Ekhoff 23’ (Snobl); Stay 49’ (PK); Christenson 68’ (Willford), 70’ (L. Thompson); Novak 69’ (L. Thompson); L. Thompson 80’.

Pelican Rapids – Funk 25’ (Carlson), 55’.

Saves – Bieber (BHS) 0; Seitz (BHS) 1; Klaers (BHS) 0; Banton (PR) 8; Zavala (PR) 2.

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Lumberjacks score 4 in road win over Brainerd

Pioneer Staff Report — Sun, 22 Sep 2024 00:09:18 GMT

BRAINERD – The Bemidji High �� boys soccer team took to the road Saturday afternoon and defeated Brainerd 4-2.

Four different players scored in the win, as the Lumberjacks improved to 6-2-1 on the season.

Isaac Stone was the first to find the back of the net, breaking the scoreless tie in the 44th minute with an assist from Lincoln Schmitt.

Preston Bernander notched the equalizer for Brainerd on a free kick at the 63rd minute, but just four minutes later, Sam Byrne booted in a goal off an assist from Stone to recapture the lead.

Schmitt added to Bemidji’s lead in the 72nd minute, kicking it past goalkeeper Odin Sjoberg to make it 3-1.

Brainerd cut into the Lumberjacks’ lead with a goal just four minutes later. However, Reed Johnson iced the game in the 79th minute to make it 4-2.

Bemidji 4, Brainerd 2

BHS 0 4 – 4

BRD 0 2 – 2

Bemidji – Stone 44’ (Schmitt); Byrne 67’ (Stone); Schmitt 72’ (Elliot); Johnson 79’ (Riley).

Brainerd – Bernander 63'; Joel 77’ (Bernander).

Saves – Heuer (BHS) 3; Sjoberg (BRD) 2.

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