A loose ball found its way onto the foot of Rachael Loomis, who in turn found the back of the net, giving Fargo South a conference title.
Loomis' goal lifted South to a 1-0 victory against Fargo North on Monday in Eastern Dakota Conference girls soccer at North athletic field.
"These girls definitely had their mind set at the beginning of the season to get that No. 1 seed," said South coach Michael Breker. "The games have been more low-scoring than we wanted, but we've been getting the job done."
South (15-0-1, 10-0-1 EDC) remained unbeaten and hosts Fargo Shanley on Friday to close out the regular season.
North (11-4-2, 9-2-1) ended its regular season and is off until the North Dakota state tournament, which is May 29-31 in Bismarck. The Spartans could be a No. 2 or 3 seed from the EDC depending on how Shanley does in its last two regular-season games.
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"That's the best I've seen them play," North coach Cordell Sinding said of South. "The nice thing is it shows us what we need to do to get to that next level. We're a level behind, but we can get there."
Loomis scored in the 35th minute with Bruins forward Kayla Schultz setting up the game-winner. Schultz sent a pass toward the front of the net from the right side of the penalty box.
North goalkeeper Abby Kjonaas tried to smother the attempt and initially got a piece of Schultz's pass. But Kjonaas appeared to collide with a teammate and was unable to control the ball.
Loomis booted the loose ball into an open net.
"I saw the defender going at the keeper, so I thought the ball was going to come off," Loomis said. "I was hoping. It was an easy goal. I was just in the right place at the right time."
The Bruins pressured North early, producing numerous quality scoring chances early in the first half. Schultz chipped a shot off the post less than three minutes into the match. Kjonaas made a nice leaping save on Shannon Lee in the 17th minute.
"When you miss chances like that, you are kind of disappointed, but you have to shake it off because you have a lot of time left," Loomis said.
FIRST HALF: 1, FS, Loomis (Schultz) 34:12.
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SECOND HALF: No scoring.
SAVES: FS, Fisher 3. FN, Kjonaas 11.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Eric Peterson at (701) 241-5513.
Peterson's prep sports blog can be found at www.areavoices.com
