Titans girls’ soccer falls to Jefferson, shuts out Huron, Mitchell

The Tea Area High School girls’ soccer team split a pair of matches last week, falling to Sioux Falls Jefferson before bouncing back with a dominant shutout victory over Huron. The team also grabbed a win over Mitchell this week.  

The Titans opened the week last Tuesday, Sept. 22, with a 1-0 loss to Sioux Falls Jefferson.

Tea Area returned home Saturday, Sept. 26, hosting Huron and earning a convincing 5-0 victory.

The Titans got on the scoreboard first when Sydney Stahlecker scored with 25 minutes remaining in the first half. Stahlecker created the goal on a standout individual effort, providing an early momentum boost for Tea Area.

Emma Hilleson added the Titans’ second goal with 10 minutes remaining in the first half. The goal came during a scramble following a corner kick and was especially memorable as Hilleson celebrated her birthday.

Tea Area continued to apply pressure late in the opening half, with Cate Giles finding the back of the net on a long-range shot with less than three minutes remaining. Giles’ 30-35-yard “laser shot” gave the Titans a 3-0 advantage heading into halftime.

Tea Area continued its offensive attack in the second half. Galilea Prieto scored with 11 minutes remaining to extend the lead to 4-0.

The Titans capped the scoring when Janessa Kuipers found the net with 9:03 remaining following another well-executed corner kick, giving Tea Area the 5-0 victory.

Tea Area wrapped up the regular season Tuesday, Sept. 29, when the Titans hosted Mitchell. The Titan girls defeated Mitchell, 2-0 to head into the post season with back to back wins. 

The South Dakota high school girls’ soccer postseason begins Oct. 6, with the quarterfinals scheduled for Oct. 10, semifinals on Oct. 13 and the State Championship set for Oct. 17.