VICTORIA - After a victory on Wednesday, two Willmar football teams have earned spots in section championship games.
The Willmar boys soccer team got two goals from David Gomez and Ben Gonzalez and Sakawe Shadoor also found the back of the net in a 4-0 win over Holy Family Catholic in the Section 6A semifinals.
The No. 4-seed Cardinals now face top-seed Orono (18-1) in the section title game on Friday in Orono.
The Spartans secured their spot in the championship match with a 6-0 victory over Providence Academy on Wednesday.
Gomez connected on an assist from David Aguilar in the second minute, and Gomez then opened the second half with his second goal. Holy Family goalie John Pearson had trouble corralling a ball in the box and Gomez punched in the loose ball for a 2-0 lead in the 47th minute.
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Shadoor made it 3-0 on an assist from Gonzalez 20 minutes later, and Gonzalez sealed the deal on an assist from Gomez in the 71st minute.
“We’re really rolling right now,” said Willmar head coach Jeff Winter. “We’re playing our best soccer at the right time. Everybody’s moving the ball, passing the ball really well.”
The Cardinals (14-4-1) have won five-straight matches and they have dispatched three playoff opponents, outscoring them 25-1.
On Wednesday, Willmar put 12 shots on Pearson and the Fire defense while the Cardinals’ defense allowed just four shots on goalie Manny Obregon. He turned back all of them.
“Everybody is communicating,” Winter said. “Everybody knows where they are going. It’s a team attack.”
Winter said the team had played inconsistently early in the season and points to an Oct. 6 win over Sartell as the team’s turning point.
“That’s when I think they really believed, ‘Hey, we could really go far,’ ” Winter said.
Willmar 4, Holy Family 0
Willmar (14-4-1) 1 3 - 4
Holy Family (8-6-2) 0 0 - 0
FIRST HALF – W: David Gomez (David Aguilar) 2:00
SECOND HALF – W: Gomez 47:00 … W: Sakawe Shadoor (Ben Gonzalez) 67:00 … W: Gonzalez (Gomez) 71:00
SHOTS ON GOAL – Willmar: 12 … Holy Family: 4
GOALIE SAVES – Willmar: Manny Obregon 4 … Holy Family: John Pearson 8
DEFENSIVE SAVES – None
