Aug. 27—BEMIDJI — In the 18th minute, Stella Schoonover gave the Lumberjacks a sigh of relief.
After conceding a goal on a free kick 70 seconds into the contest, the Bemidji High School girls soccer team pelted Rocori goalkeeper Ally Terway with a plethora of shots on target.
Schoonover took a couple of them, including one on a free run in the opening 10 minutes, but Terway swatted the ball away to keep the 1-0 lead.
However, in the 18th minute with the field tilted at Bemidji Middle School, BHS finally broke through, and it was Schoonover's kick that leveled the score after a throw-in from senior captain Taylor Merschman.
"That goal was really eye-opening for us," said Merschman, who finished with two assists. "We gave one up, but got it back. Our team continues to keep going and going and going, and we did that today. We didn't shut down."
From there, the floodgates were opened. The Lumberjacks shook off their lackluster start and rolled to a 9-1 win over the Spartans in their first Central Lakes Conference match.
"It was a bad start," Larsen said. "I don't know what kind of nerves it was, maybe some nervousness about playing the first game or just not taking the game seriously enough. I think it shows that we can still work on our approach to the mental side of the game, but it's OK. We recovered. We had the right response after giving up that goal and I'm happy about that."
Bemidji's introduction to the Central Lakes Conference started on the wrong foot. Ashley Storms put Rocori ahead in the second minute on a free kick just outside the 18-yard box for the season's first goal.
"What I'm hoping for in those growing pains is that it turns into confidence," Larsen said. "I think what we saw was, if they play their game, we're going to be fine. If they come out afraid or unprepared, it hurts us. If they're willing to play the game that they know, the game they've spent so many hours in training to build, it'll be a confidence booster for them."
Junior Mya Thompson led the way in scoring with her first varsity hat trick. She finished twice within 10 minutes in the first half and completed the three-goal performance in the 54th minute.
"She's phenomenal," Merschman said of Thompson. "It used to be her and her older sister on the field together, but now Mya's by herself. The spotlight is hers now. She's golden."
Plenty of other Lumberjacks found the scoresheet.
Schoonover made it 2-1 just two minutes after her first goal. Riella Ceballos, playing in her first varsity game as Bemidji's lone freshman on the varsity roster, scored twice.
"She's super technical," Larsen said of Ceballos. "She has a very good touch on the ball and is good at checking her shoulder. She has good awareness. It's probably tough being the only freshman. Hopefully, she recognized that she belongs on the varsity field, because she certainly has all of the skills to be here. We've seen her play so much (at lower levels) with a smile on her face, and hopefully that stays with her on the varsity field."
Abby Bokovoy and Ella Willford also scored in the second half, while Halle Hofstad recorded a pair of assists.
Brynn Klaers made one save in the first half before she was subbed out for Arden Strowbridge, who made her varsity debut. The Jacks had big shoes to fill for the 2026 season, replacing graduates Liv Thompson, Holly Snobl, Izzy Renn, Clara Bieber, Kayce Christiansen, Isabelle Vaughn and other contributors in a senior class of 10.
"For us leaders, it's about being family-oriented," Merschman said. "When we're on the field, we're always encouraging each other and staying positive. Off the field, we're like a family. We're always hanging out and doing stuff together. It's really uplifting, and it's up to us to make sure all of the girls feel included."
Thursday was the first time Bemidji played a girls soccer match against Rocori since Oct. 1, 2020. With limited playing and scheduling opportunities in the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jacks played a Central Lakes Conference schedule despite being a Lakes to Prairie Conference member. BHS
joined the CLC across the board
ahead of the 2026-27 school year.
Before this season, Bemidji didn't play Rocori regularly in almost every sport. It presented a unique challenge for the Lumberjacks on Thursday in terms of preparing for an unknown opponent.
"I'm excited to see how we play against some teams that we haven't played against," Merschman said. "New teams have different styles that we haven't seen yet. Our team has to come back and find ways to beat them."
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