BEMIDJI – With last season’s top two scorers graduating, the Bemidji High School girls soccer team needed new faces on offense.

In the footsteps of Stell Schoonover and Isabelle Vaughn.

In the first home game against Sartell, two of the Lumberjacks’ rookies scored goals for the first time and helped BHS end its five-game losing streak against the Sabres with a 4-1 win.

“I’m really pleased, especially with the mental toughness we showed,” said BHS head coach Logan Larsen. “When you have a group of players that have the past and those losses, you can go into a game and play a week. We went in and played hard right away, but still played smart. We’re really starting to play at 11.”

Schoonover’s goal came in the 39th minute. Mya Thompson fired a cross into the middle of the box before the ball bounced past a Sartell defender.

Schoonover, a sophomore, was in the right place at the right time, picked up the change and scored her first goal on the varsity team.

“It’s exciting,” Schoonover said. “It felt good. It definitely gives you more confidence. It kind of pushes you to go out and get another one.”

From then on, Schoonover experienced a noticeable upturn.

“She’s an incredible athlete,” Larsen said. “The coolest thing about her is that she’s extremely humble. She’s a little goofy and likes to laugh at things. She’s a great kid to coach and watch play because she’s smart and talented and has good coordination.”

Vaughn, a junior, needed just four minutes after Schoonover scored her first goal to score, firing the ball over the head of Sartell goalkeeper Brynn Darling from 30 yards out to double the lead.

“I wondered if it was luck, but she said she looked up and saw where the goalie was,” Larsen said. “That reinforces our view as coaches that she is a smart player and can recognize those opportunities.”

The Lumberjacks’ third goal, however, came from a more experienced player. Kate Corradi shook off a Sartell defender and fired the ball over Darling’s head. It was BHS’s third goal in six minutes of play.

“It makes me happy (to see her score) because she worked so hard,” Larsen said. “It’s fun to see players get rewarded.”

Sartel got a miss in midfield. Darling fired a ball from her goal into midfield and Lilly Breitkreutz took advantage of a Bemidji error, beating Jacks goalie Clara Bieber to cut the Sabres’ deficit to 3-1.

Without Bieber, however, Breitkreutz’s strike could have done far more damage. She thwarted Sartell’s first goal-scoring opportunity with a through ball midway through the first half. Breitkreutz found a gap in the middle of the pitch but lost the run to goal.

Bieber was called upon again in the first half and this time she had to save a crucial ball. A mistake in the back line created a chance for Sartell’s Mollie Statsick, who tried to beat Bieber deep. Bieber charged and saved her first ball of the game in the 32nd minute.

Three minutes later, Statsick created another chance for Sartell. She was one step ahead of Addison McCrady and crossed to Brietkreutz, who deflected the ball to Bieber, who was standing in the middle of the goal.

After Breitkreutz finally scored, the Sabres pressed for more. Bemidji’s defense was put to the test in the following minutes until Corradi added another goal to decide the game.

From about 23 meters, Corradi scored another goal in the 67th minute – her third of the season – to increase her lead to three goals.

“It feels good,” Schoonover said of the win. “It feels like we worked hard for it. I think we get along well and play well together. We just worked on it (to finish).”

Sartell has had Bemidji’s number since the 2018 Section 8A title game. The Sabres entered Saturday’s games with a five-game winning streak against the Jacks and finished the 2020 8A championship best with three one-goal games and a shootout.

Not only did BHS end its losing streak, but it did so in style. For the first time in program history, the Lumberjacks scored four goals against Sartell.

More importantly, Bemidji’s first win of the season will improve its chances of a playoff berth in Section 8-3A.

“We went into this game knowing there was a lot at stake,” Larsen said. “You always wonder how the players will react. But they were mentally strong today. That builds confidence, not only for the players but also for the coaches. Today we could rely on that because we know we are a very capable team.”

Bemidji 4, Sartell 1

SAR0 1 – 1

BEM1 3 – 4

BEMIDJI – Schoonover ’39; Vaughn, ’43 (M. Thompson); Corradi ’45, ’67 (McCrady).

SARTELL – Breitkreutz ’59 (Darling).

SAVES – Bieber (BHS) 4; Darling (SAR) 7.