NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. — The 4-0 start to the season for the Dakota Valley High School girls’ soccer team began the 2025 season with marked the best start through as many games in program history.
“A few years ago, we didn’t win for a couple of seasons, and got mercy ruled quite a big,” said Dakota Valley head coach Jesse Castillo. “But these girls have come a long way and put in the work to get where they are.”
However, after splitting their last two games, the Panthers set out on Tuesday to start a new win streak.
And it was a much-anticipated match besides that, as DV hosted Groton Area in a clash of two teams that entered tied for the No. 1 spot in the latest Class A SDHSAA coaches’ rankings.
There should be little doubt as to who No. 1 should be now as DV defeated the Tigers by 3-1 final at Dakota Valley High School on Tuesday.
“We’re a family on this team,” said Dakota Valley junior all-state midfielder Isabella Mijangos, who led DV last season in goals (17 goals) and assists (11) as the Panthers went to the Class A state semifinals. “I’ve never been on a team that feels as close as this one.”
“It feels good to get the win,” Castillo said. “We’ve played a few games now that have come down to the last 10 minutes or so, and it’s great that the girls have responded in those big games.”
The win moved DV to 6-1 on the season with the team’s only loss going against Class AA No. 2-ranked Rapid City Stevens.
“Even (in the loss), there were good things we did and things we can learn from,” Castillo said. “But this win gives us a boost. We’re confident and know what we can do when we properly prepare and execute. It’s exciting.”
Dakota Valley has out-scored its opponents this season by a combined tally of 26-7.
Tuesday’s match got off to a bit of a slow start as the sides felt each other out and played the game largely in the midfield.
The Panthers finally broke through in the 27th minute when Sophie Meyer got the ball in space along with left wing and sent a shot toward the far corner of the Groton net but Tiger goalkeeper Jaedyn Penning got an out-stretched mitt on the ball to deflect it, but that only slightly delayed the inevitable DV goal as Ava Buck was waiting alongside a couple of teammates with no defenders around for the easy rebound.
DV struck again in the 31st minute when Isabella Mijangos won a battle for the ball at midfield and sent a perfectly-placed, looping pass ahead that dropped behind the Tiger defense and allowed Meyer to chase it down and beat the Groton defense.
Lexi Stusse made it 3-0 Dakota Valley in the 58th minute with a penalty kick.
Groton got on the board in the 69th minute on a free kick by Mia Crank. Crank lined up from well outside the box for the set piece and sent a high-arcing shot just over the leaping Quinnlynn Bonstead.
Despite not getting the clean sheet, it was a more than satisfying win for the Panthers, who roster just three seniors on the varsity roster.
“We had such high expectations coming into the season, I’m just so proud of what we’ve done already so far this season,” said Meyer, who was an honorable mention all-stater last season in scoring four goals and registering seven assists as a sophomore.
“Everyone on this team has worked so hard, this team deserved (the win),” Mijangos said.
Panther boys fall to Groton, Olson goals
The Dakota Valley High School boys’ soccer team’s game against Groton Area played out as the opposite of the girls’ game as the Panthers lost, 2-0, in the second half of the doubleheader at DV High School.
The Panthers (0-4-1) started out strong, generated some corner kicks and scoring opportunities and kept Groton (6-3-1) off the scoreboard.
That changed in the 30th minute, when an Easton Weber corner kick sailed just over the head of a leaping Tiger in front of the net and landed on the head of Logan Olson, who used his jumping teammate as a block and got the header past DV goalkeeper
Groton scored again in the 54th minute, when the Tigers won possession deep in DV territory and and Axel Abeln assisted Olson to give him goal No. 2 for the brace.
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