The Minneapolis Washburn high school boys varsity soccer team is looking to make a deep postseason run following a momentous regular season run that brought an 11-0-3 record, spots at the top of state and national rankings, and high expectations for the large group of returning players.
Minneapolis Washburn wrapped up their regular season playing to a 2-2 draw on Saturday against St. Louis Park. For Millers head coach Aaron Percy, the success in Minneapolis, is special.
"For me it means a ton," Percy said. "I graduated from Washburn in 1992 and have been coaching since 1997. My first 10 to 15 years was a much difference scenario than what this is."
Percy, who coaches the boys and girls varsity soccer teams, says they take pride in being a Minneapolis school and the schedule they play.
"We take a pride in representing the city and having a schedule where we go and play schools like Wayzata, Edina, and Lakeville North. And I think the guys definitely buy into that. They look at it like, 'Why not us? We can play.'"
The Millers' play has thrusted them to the No. 1 in the state high school rankings for Class 3A. Meanwhile, they're also ranked No. 2 according to the United Soccer Coaches High School Rankings published October 1.
"It's a nice accolade," Percy said. "It represents that we're playing some good soccer. Who knows what it actually means, because of none of these teams will ever actually play each other. It's a nice feather in the cap. The rankings won't mean much if we don't actually win something. I think the team gets excited by it and it's a nice accolade for our program. It doesn't help us beat our opponents and it puts a target on our backs."
Senior Ronan Selbo leads Minneapolis Washburn this fall, but as Percy points out, it's a total team effort.
"With high school soccer, I think your chemistry and team connection to each other is a huge part of it when you're in these situations when you're battling other top teams. The reality is it's so short that it's important to get your group out there and have them buy-in as best as possible. It's one of the things we're very conscious of when it comes trainings, talk to the group, and set things up for them to be together. It's also driven by the players. They have really understood that in order for us to get somewhere we haven't been before as far as our results, they all need to be bough-in and on the same page."
Minneapolis Washburn is the #1 seed in the AAA Section 6 tournament that begins Wednesday. They'll host #8 Rogers.
Washburn lost the 2023 Section 6 championship to Wayzata, who went on to win the Class 3A state championship.