Boys soccer: Lakers get comeback win over Hillcrest behind balanced scoring and timely saves

DETROIT LAKES – The Detroit Lakes boys soccer team capped off its regular season with a thrilling win over Hillcrest Lutheran Academy on Thursday night.

Trialing 1-0, Ethan Gerdes tied the game in the 27th minute before burying the go-ahead goal in the 52nd minute on a through ball. The Lakers (11-5) went on to beat the Comets (10-4-1) 4-1.

David Giembellini doubled the lead six minutes later on a penalty kick. Noah Meyer scored his 16th goal of the season in the 71st minute to put the game on ice.

As formidable as the Lakers were offensively, goalkeeper Evan Thomas was just as vital. He made 14 saves, including a late stop on a penalty kick to clinch Detroit Lakes’ 11th win of the season.

The Section 8-2A playoff bracket will be finalized this weekend. The first round begins on Oct. 18.

Detroit Lakes is set to host its first round playoff game against fifth-seeded Rocori on Thursday night at the Rotary Soccer Complex.

The Lakers finished the regular-season with a record of 11-5 and 4-3 in Section 8-2A. The Spartans landed in fifth place with a record of 7-9, including a 2-4 section record. The two teams did not play each other in the regular season.

St. Cloud Apollo (11-3-1, 6-0-1) earned the top seed and will host East Grand Forks (1-12-0, 0-4) on Thursday. Detroit Lakes or Rocori will play the winner of that game in the second round.

Alexandria (8-5-3, 6-2-1) secured the second seed in the field. The Cardinals will host seventh-seeded Sauk Rapids-Rice (3-10-1, 2-6-1). Third-seeded St. Cloud Tech (8-6-2, 4-1-2) takes on sixth-seeded Little Falls (8-6-1, 0-4-1).

All first round games will be played on Thursday, with the second rounds kicking off next Tuesday. High seeds host the opening two rounds before a neutral site Section 8-2A championship game.

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