SLP Earns Emotional Tie With BSM

junior goalie Riley Riordan made Tuesday’s matchup with personal, and it paid off big for the Orioles girls soccer team.

Riordan moved to Minnesota from California last year and attended BSM during the spring semester. She transferred to Park to begin the 2011-12 school year, and facing the Red Knights on Tuesday was her first chance to show both sides she made the right choice.

She did just that, shutting down a potent Red Knights offense in a 1-1 tie at St. Louis Park Stadium. The tie keeps both teams tied atop the North Suburban Conference standings.

“I’m just pumped coming from that school—I really wanted to show them I made the right decision coming here. So that’s a personal win,” Riordan said. “There was a lot of talk going in of, ‘Oh, this Benilde team is really good this year.’ And even though it’s not a win, I think we’re really proud of ourselves that we stuck it out and kept fighting.”

The end result was a jubilant Orioles squad looking the part of the victors, not a team coming off a tie. That’s because it wasn’t an easy road.

BSM (10-0-2, 6-0-1 NSC) took an early lead and looked to be in control. Just 16 minutes into the contest, sophomore Kelly Pannek scored on a header off a free kick to give the Red Knights a 1-0 lead.

It looked like BSM would hold that advantage heading into halftime, but senior forward Hannah Geressu changed the complexion of the match by scoring with seven seconds left in the half.

The lead gave Park (7-2-2, 6-0-1) a swagger during the rest of the contest.

“I felt on top of the world,” Rordan said of the goal. “I sprinted to the other side. I was so excited because I knew right then that we were back in the game.”

The enthusiasm lasted through the final horn of overtime and into the team’s post-game meeting, where Orioles teammates laughed, hugged and chanted after an emotional tie that kept them in the hunt for a conference crown.

St. Louis Park coach Benjamin Kent said he told his squad before the game in order to compete with the Red Knights, the team would need to keep it low scoring. BSM, ranked No. 1 in Class 1A, came into the game having scored 29 goals in its last four games—all shutouts.

Kent said seeing the emotion his team displayed during and after the game was great to see.

“It’s what you coach for,” he said.

For Riordan, who said the Orioles squad has been a great fit for her, it’s one more step toward the team’s conference goal.

“I haven’t been a part of this team as long as some other people, so I know they’re striving for it,” Riordan said. “I’m just happy to be along for the ride and help out as much as I can.”