Six autumns ago, a youngster became the starting
goalkeeper for the Alexandria High School girls soccer team. For every game in
every season since – 102 consecutive games in all -- Sophia Vinje has been
there for the Cardinals.
Her high school career ended with a 5-1 loss to
Benilde-St. Margaret’s in the Class 2A state quarterfinals last week. Sophia
was denied her dream of playing at U.S. Bank Stadium this week, but that doesn’t
diminish what she has accomplished.
She never missed a start in those 102 games
while recording 43 shutouts and a career goals-against average of 0.3. Her
career record is 59-37-6; she posted 14 shutouts this season as the Cardinals
finished with a record of 16-3.
The numbers tell part of the story. But what Sophia,
who has been a team captain for two years, has provided beyond statistics is even
more important.
“She a real confidence-builder for our team,”
said coach Amy Korynta. “She’s a rock back there. Every year she’s gotten
stronger and stronger. She instills a lot of confidence in the defense and that
builds through the whole team.”
It wasn’t always like that. Sophia was only 12
years old when she started the first varsity game of her seventh-grade year
against East Grand Forks.
“Six years is a long time,” she said. “I started when
I was 12, and I'm 18 now. I've grown as a person. I’m a completely different
person and I’ve visibly seen myself growing as a person. I've gained more
confidence, I've grown as a leader.”
The final game of Sophia’s career saw something
strange: Her absence from the field. She was injured in a collision midway through
the first half and sat on the sideline until returning with three minutes
remaining in the game. She was hobbling on a sore knee but she wanted to finish
her high school career on the field with her teammates.
“Amy came to me and was like, ‘Do you
just want to go in the last two or three minutes?’ I think it was really
important because you started on the field and you want to end on the field. What's
really important to me is that I finished with the team that I am so proud of.”
Despite her injury, Sophia made a diving
save with 28 seconds to play in the state quarterfinal. As the game ended, she
was down on both knees as teammates ran to console her. After shaking hands with
the Benilde-St. Margaret’s players and the officials, a smiling Sophia led the
Cardinals to the front of the bleachers, where they exchanged hand slaps with
their student fans.
“I grew up with these people for my whole
life,” Sophia said of her teammates. “And being a part of this, these people
are my best friends. And to be part of this team, it's such a beautiful thing. The
game draws you together. It makes you closer, and every time you get on the
field, it's just a reward to see how close you are.”
As practice began six years ago, the
Cardinals needed someone to replace a goalkeeper who had graduated. Korynta, an
assistant coach at that time, said the staff was aware of Sophia.
“We knew of her through summer programs. She
was a strong keeper. And that’s how it’s been ever since then. It’s really
incredible.
“She’s very quick. She’s strong. Her reaction
time is really amazing. She comes off her line well, she’s able to read the
play and anticipate where the attack is coming from. She’s become very vocal
these last couple of years, and she helps the defense adjust and shift and
move.”
Asked what memories will be foremost in her mind
10 years from now, Sophia said nothing about individual accomplishments. She
talked about what is most important to her: the team.
“We’ve had a lot of different
personalities come through this whole entire program,” she said. “And for every
single person, this sport brought everyone so close together. It's very special
to me.”
--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org
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