A year ago the Esko-Carlton girls soccer team had only two losses. Unfortunately one of those losses was in the semifinals of the Section 7A tournament to Proctor and that eliminated a team many thought was the best team in the section.
"We did have a very good team but in the end we didn't get it done," said co-coach of the Eskomos Jerry Maunu. "Two years ago we were not as good as Cloquet and we made it to state and last year they won the section, so you never know how things will play out."
E-C will have a number of key players back, but they will need to replace one of the top goaltenders in the area, Amanda Norbie, who helped lead the Eskomos to a streak of over 600 scoreless minutes at one point during the season.
"Right now we are looking at three girls for that position," explained Maunu. "Freshman Savannah Schramm, sophomore Emily Johnson and junior Julia Carr will all get a shot at goaltender."
The Eskomos lost not only Norbie and an All-State goalie, but they also lost All-State defender Ashley Langila as well as Jess Bergstedt, Amanda Juntunen, Shauna McLain and Alissa Stainbrook.
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Look for E-C to rely on their three captains - Jackie Rosenholm, Sam Severson and Abby Jaskari - to lead the team. Rosenholm and Severson will play mainly defense and midfield and look for Jaskari up front.
Kelli Rengo will help up front, at midfield look for Kate Marquis and Amanda Bergstedt to be strong. On defense, Alexis Abrahamson and Sarah Krocha will also be key factors to the team's success.
"If we can replace our goalie and get key scoring, we'll be fine," mentioned Maunu, who will coach with Nikki Peterson this season. "We will just keep working hard."
The Eskomos were 13-1 during the regular season and they finished the regular season and playoffs with a 14-2 record.
