The 2024 Cannon Falls Girls Soccer Team has ended the season with an overall record of 6-7-2. The season ended with a neck-and-neck, hard-fought game against Fairmont, ending in a loss with a score of 1-2. The Bombers were tied with Fairmont to end the game and went into overtime. Then the two teams went into double overtime (sudden death) but the game still remained tied. The Bombers ended up falling short by 1 point in a shootout. In the postseason, the Bombers showed their best skills and fought til the very end. This past season was the first season Cannon Falls has had a co-op with both Randolph and Goodhue. Some girls had never met each other before this season, and the chemistry they grew throughout the season showed on and off the field. This 2024 season was definitely one to remember for the girls especially because the team surpassed its win total from the last few seasons, and came out victorious on their first postseason game, which took place at home for the first time, and for the first time in program history, had a player, Sophomore Ava Hernke, chosen as All-State for Class A. The Bombers worked hard this season and are very hopeful for the seasons to come.
Sophomore Kaeda Rezac expressed her point of view on how the team did this year and their close relationships with each other on and off the field. She stated, “I think we had an awesome season and are continuing to grow.” The Bombers’ growth throughout the season was tremendous. They face some tough competition, sometimes coming out on top and other times, maybe not. Rezac also reflected on the chemistry grown throughout the season. She explained that having a co-op with two other schools can be hard in terms of developing chemistry, but by the end of the season, they were all very close and as Rezac noted, “everyone was pals.” Rezac continued talking about how she will miss all of her friends that she has made from soccer since many don’t go to the same school. She is optimistic and excited for the next few years of Cannon Falls Girls Soccer.
“Our biggest improvement in my opinion was our offensive skills,” stated Kenna Keller. Keller is a sophomore and a strong player for the Bombers. The Bombers have made many memories this season even though many just met each other this year. Keller explained that her favorite memory was when the Bombers tied with the Lourdes. She talked about how it was a very tough game but they fought very hard and ended up keeping them from scoring. Keller added that they ended 9 minutes early in that game because of rain. The Bombers continued to grow with every game that went by this past season.
Laura Rezac noted “the girl soccer team improved drastically from the beginning of the season to the end.” Rezac is an assistant coach for the Bombers. She began speaking about how the girls made history this year in Cannon Falls Girls Soccer. They completed the season with the best record, their best seeding for playoffs (3rd seed), hosting their first-ever playoff game, and winning their first postseason game in CF history. Rezac reflected on how hard the team worked throughout the season, especially from the couple of girls who had never played soccer (co-op with Goodhue for the first time). When asked what the biggest thing she can reflect on about the season is, Rezac responded, “We really focused on our offensive attack and it worked!” The increase in skill on the offensive led the Bombers to score more often, which ultimately led to the most wins in program history. Rezac added that “watching the girls build relationships, cheer each other and above all, connect on the field was awesome!”
The 2024 Cannon Falls Girls Soccer team has come to a close with a loss against Fairmont, but they have many things to be proud of from this past season. The growth that the team has had is outstanding, not just in Soccer but also in their relationships with one another. The Bombers graduated four seniors: Nora Sexton, Natasha Van Slyke, Kendyl Lodermeier, and Ciara Callstrom. After the leadership and immense growth seen from this past season, many girls are eager to keep on playing, potentially off-season, and anticipating a great season next year.
