MSHSL 2012 State Soccer Tournament Semifinals Set

The 2012 Minnesota State High School Soccer Tournament picks up again today after all the quarterfinals were completed last week at four locations around the state. 30 teams competed in 15 games to whittle the field down to 16 in Boys and Girls A and 2A.

Normally it would be 32 teams competing in 16 games but as covered last week, the State High School League made a decision to exclude Prairie Seeds Academy after it was discovered that they had a player transfer from another school who had not sat out for the required year, and the school had not filed the online report required by the league. The rule was set to keep schools from recruiting players for athletic purposes. Dave Stead, who is in charge of the league, said the disqualification from a state tournament was unprecedented in his 27 years with the MSHSL.

The Star Tribune covered the injunction that PSA filed to allow their team to compete, saying the league shouldn’t punish all their players because of the violation. It was high drama for Duluth Marshall, who was scheduled to play PSA Friday afternoon in the semifinal match and still had not heard the judge’s decision when they needed to make the trip to the Twin Cities. As reported by the Star Tribune, the judge made his decision slightly before 3:00 p.m. and ruled against PSA, giving Duluth Marshall a bye in the first round of the tournament.