The St. Anthony Village High School Girls State Soccer Championship victory on Nov. 4 was the first in any girls’ sport in the school’s history. The boys’ soccer team, playing just after the girls, took second place. Both games had 80 minutes of play, but their performances were years in the making.
Girls’ soccer co-head coaches Sue and Paul Pawlyshyn were hired by St. Anthony Village High School in 2020, after serving as volunteer coaches in summer soccer programs since 2003. Their three daughters all played in the St. Anthony Soccer Club program. Sue is in her tenth year as the head teacher in the All Day Preschool Program; Paul works at the high school in a safety and student support position.
Sue said 2017 was the first year of SAV HS soccer for the boys’ and girls’ stand-alone teams, and the couple’s first year coaching (2020) was a COVID year, with no State Tournament, but in 2021, the girls became Section 4 Champions, beating St. Croix Prep 2-1. The Huskies went to the State Tournament (the first time in school history that girls’ soccer made it there) but lost in the quarterfinals.
This year, they were again were crowned Section 4 champions, beating St. Croix Prep 2-0, followed by a win against Esko in the State quarterfinals. The semifinal game took place in US Bank Stadium, where the team defeated Providence Academy, the No. 1 ranked Class A team. The State Championship game ended with St. Anthony’s 3-2 victory over third-ranked St. Paul Academy. Senior midfielder Eileen Cardona, senior defender Anna Abel and junior forward Meghan Przybilla supplied the goals. Cardona was also a finalist for Ms. Soccer Minnesota.
Sue said, “It’s exciting not just for the girls’ program, but for all students and for the entire community. With other things that the community has gone through, it’s so much fun to share this with everyone.” She noted an average of 40-50 girls from 7th through 12th grade play soccer, making it possible this year to put together three teams. In addition to herself and Paul, their daughter Grace is a volunteer coach.
The program’s C Team is coached by April Dexter, a former St. Anthony Village student and varsity player. The Junior Varsity team is coached by Shelbie Ewing, who has been with the program for the last six years. She said parents and players fought to have their own soccer program at their school, adding, “I love coaching high school soccer and have had the privilege of watching many players pass through the program, with this year’s group having the most success, winning the State Tournament and taking home the Championship honors. All of our teams were very successful and it was incredible to see them play so hard, finish strong, and have a lot of fun along the way.”
Ewing said that soccer at St. Anthony has been popular but in the fall it’s a challenge, with so many other sports vying for players, especially for girls, with volleyball, swimming, cross country and tennis all happening at the same time. “But even during COVID, we still had around 30 players come out for soccer the fall of 2020.” A former president of the St. Anthony Soccer Boosters, Ewing said getting to coach was a “dream come true.” “To watch so many of these players grow up through the Boosters program and then go on to play at the high school level is incredible!” She added, “We are fortunate to have a few practice sites for our three teams, Wilshire Park, Central Park and the High School. Our games are played in the newly remodeled sports stadium which has new artificial turf.”
Not to be outdone, the boys’ soccer program had a very good year itself, coming in second in the State Tournament.
Boys’ head coach Sam Mann said, “The journey for how we got there was amazing. No one knew who we were, now everybody does. The fact that these groups of guys were able to achieve this feat is incredible.”
This year’s team included two All-State players, Christopher Plaza and Hans Asare, who was also a Mr. Soccer finalist.
St. Anthony Boosters Soccer Board President Sam Striker said, of Mann’s achievement, “This is the best turnaround I have ever seen a coach do in two years; from fifth in the section to second in the state!”
Below: St. Anthony High School Girls 2022 Class A Champions. (Photo by Grace Pawlyshyn) Below, girls’ soccer coaches Sue Pawlyshyn, Shelbie Ewing, Grace Pawlyshyn and Paul Pawlyshyn. (Provided photo)
