Soccer’s cruelest outcome landed on the Grand Rapids boys on Tuesday night in Forest Lake, Minnesota, as their first state tournament run in two decades ended in a penalty-kick shootout at the hands of Cretin-Derham Hall in a Class AA state quarterfinal.
Third-seeded Cretin-Derham Hall advanced to next week’s semifinals at US Bank Stadium with a 3-2 victory after winning 6-5 in the sixth round.
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Sixth-seeded Rapids trailed 1-0 at the half but had numerous chances, hitting the crossbar twice before getting a breakthrough goal from junior Max Glass a few minutes after the break.
The Thunderhawks’ top striker, Fynn Schlicht gave his team a second-half lead when he pounced on a bouncing long ball from Mac Martinson in transition and slotted it home.
The Raiders recovered for an equalizing goal and senior Henry Stangler’s second of the game a few minutes later, creating a deadlock that lasted through two 10-minute extra-time periods, with Schlicht grazing the crossbar from long range as close as either side got to a winner.
Rapids made an interesting tactical move, subbing in senior Riley Matteson in goal before the shootout, but each of the first five attempts both ways in...