St. Cloud Apollo was the only team to stand in the way of an unbeaten regular season for the East Grand Forks Senior High girls soccer team.
The Green Wave made sure Tuesday that Apollo didn't stand in the way of a Minnesota Section 8A championship berth.
Senior High avenged a loss to Apollo earlier this season by cruising to a 3-1 victory in the section semifinals at Senior High Field.
For the fourth straight season, the Green Wave advance to the section title. Senior High will face Detroit Lakes -- a 2-1 shootout winner over St. Cloud Cathedral in the other semifinal -- on Thursday with the site and time to be determined.
The Green Wave faced the Lakers twice during the regular season, winning each matchup by two goals (4-2 and 2-0).
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Against Apollo, Senior High took care of the team responsible for the lone loss for the 18-1-1 Green Wave loss this season.
"The big difference this time was we finished our chances," Senior High coach Jessica Krog said. "We did a nice job not giving up many shots and we didn't make any critical mistakes."
The Green Wave led throughout. At 7 minutes, 14 seconds, junior midfielder Emily Swenson scored after Apollo goalie Liz Lowery was unable to control a rebound. With a basketball-style boxout, Swenson used her body to corral the loose ball and kick it past Lowery.
"Emily is a really hard-nosed player for us," Krog said. "She crashed that rebound. That's what we teach them to do: Get in there and frame the net."
Senior High pushed the lead to 2-0 at 21:34. Jaclyn Scanlan's fancy footwork eventually led to a centering pass to Brandi Wickersham for the goal.
"The first time we played (Apollo), we had a game before and we had been on the road for five hours," Scanlan said. "We didn't get a lot of sleep, and we were worn out. This time, our work ethic was the key."
Scanlan's ball skills were on display in the second half, too, as the Green Wave built a 3-0 lead. The senior attacker, the program's all-time leading point-getter, danced around a couple of defenders about 15 yards out before lofting a shot high over Lowery.
"Jaclyn's a great player and we needed her to come up big," Krog said. "She's our quarterback and does a great job controlling the ball at the midfield. She lived up to her role as a senior and a captain."
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At 69:02, Apollo's Katherine Rogosheske prevented the shutout when her shot from 20 yards out one-hopped past Senior High goalie Chelsey Grassel, who finished with three saves.
Lowery made five stops for Apollo, who finish the season 11-5-3.
EGF Senior High 3,
St. Cloud Apollo 1
Key play: Emily Swenson's goal early in the first half for a 1-0 lead.
Key player: Jaclyn Scanlan, goal, assist.
