It was both a dramatic and exciting weekend for Shoreland Lutheran High School this past weekend. For the first time in school history, Pacer soccer was the first athletic team to reach both the WIAA state tournament and the state championship match. Boasting an incredible record of 22-3-2 in 2007, the team was looking to leave their mark as Wisconsin’s very best.

The hurtful $7 ticket price didn’t stop energized and ready Pacer fans from storming the bleachers in Milwaukee to cheer on their team. Shoreland played their first game on Friday, fighting from a 1-2 deficit to win the match 3-2 over Columbus. Goalkeeper Kevin Ulwelling stated on falling behind in the match, “It was nerve racking knowing that second goal could have ended our season. But I knew those goals would come because we never give up and we’ve been in that position before.” After the momentous victory, Shoreland prepared to take the biggest stage of them all – the state championship.

It was a cold Saturday morning with yet another enormous fan turn out. The Pacers were to play against Wrightstown. Shoreland struck quickly in the game’s sixth minute to take a sudden advantage. By halftime Wrightstown found themselves in a 3-0 hole thanks to an extra two goals from Freshman, Mike Roekle. Kevin also commented on the performance after bear hugging and spinning Roekle saying, “I was happy for him getting those two goals since he hadn’t really played, and I knew that third goal was the clincher.” After completing their 7-0 victory over Wrightstown, awards were presented to each player of the team along with a brand new WIAA State Championship trophy. The team later on presented the trophy at a school banquet to the student body in appreciation for all their support.