Just in case we still have any current members of the Robins that have not yet received the email from Coach Dreher, the adapted floor hockey tournament in Rochester this weekend has been canceled.

The Robins PI adapted soccer team had a great Saturday at the 2021 adapted soccer state tournament at Stillwater H.S. on November 20. Due to there only being 6 teams participating this fall, the Robins earned a first round “bye” on Friday, then found themselves facing the Anoka-Hennepin Mustangs for the sixth time this season in the semifinals on Saturday morning. This match turned out much like the first five, with the Robins scoring three times in the first half, leading 3-1. Anoka continued to battle, but just didn’t have enough to take the Robins down. Two Jose Leon Estrada goals, along with single goals from Marcus Brady and Ava Hetteen, combined with 25 saves from Mark Cleveland sent the Robins to a 4-2 win and a date with the Dakota United Hawks in the state championship match.

The Robins and Hawks have a long history, facing each other in adapted championship games more times than most can count, with almost all of the games being thrilling battles. This match certainly lived up to this billing. The Robins looked to be in full control in the first half, running out to a dominant 4-1 lead at halftime. The Hawks scored twice in the first four minutes of the second half, making the score 4-3. After a quick time out, the Robins quickly reasserted their offensive powers on 2 goals by Estrada, pushing the score back to 6-3, but the Hawks weren’t ready to give up. Leading 6-4, Estrada fouind the net for the fourth time in the game to make the score 7-4, but the Hawks answered with another goal, the final goal of the game, just 20 seconds later. The Robins defense held, and brought home the state championship for the first time since 2014 with a final score of 7-5. Mark Cleveland, Edgar Kinanga and Ava Hetteen were named to the Wells Fargo All Tournament Team.

This was an amazing run for the Robins, considering all the challenges the last two years have presented, and is a season that will not be soon forgotten. Congratulations Robins on another remarkable season!

The Robins wrapped up the 2021 regular season this week with a pair of games against Anoka-Hennepin, and moved to 5-0 on the season with a pair of 6-3 victories. In the first game, at the Anodover Community Center on 11/1, the Robins and Mustangs were deadlocked 1-1 at halftime, but a pair of goals in the first 3 minutes of the second half from Jose Leon Estrada sent the Robins home winners. Ava Hetteen added two second half goals, along with a rare goal from Mark Cleveland at the goalkeeper position on a long indirect kick. Cleveland and Jayda Johnson also recorded assists.

In the second game, at Armstrong on 11/3, the Robins struggled to control the ball and keep Anoka’s offensive attack under control, yet rode two Marcus Brady goals, one Jose Leon Estrada goal and three assists from Ava Hetten to a 3-0 halftime lead. The Mustangs continued to pressure the Robins and managed three second half goals, but the Robins were just as stong, getting one more goal from Brady and two more from Estrada via assists from Lucas Harper and Jayda Johnson to seal the 6-3 win and the perfect regular season. Mark Cleveland made 25 saves while Darius Larson and Edgar Kinanga combined for 25 blocked shots.

The Robins will enter the state tournament on 11/19-11/20 as the #2 seed, looking for their first adapted soccer state championship since 2014.

The game originally scheduled against Park Center at Armstrong today has been changed to a game at the Andover Community Center against Anoka-Hennepin. The Robins will wrap up the regular season at home on Wednesday.

The Robins are now 3-0 after another win over Anoka-Hennepin. Just as was the case in the previous two games, the Robins had to overcome a slow start on the offensive end of the floor and wear down the Mustang attack before pulling away in the second half of the game. The Robins found themselves tied 1-1 at the half after a first half Marcus Brady goal. Jose Leon Estrada finally got the offense going in the second half with two consecutive goals before Marcus Brady added three more of his own to make the final score 6-2. Estrada finished with 2 goals, while Brady had 4. Jayda Johnson tallied 2 assists while Micah Bomgardner, Nick Johnson and Ava Hetteen each had 1 assist. Edgar Kinanga led the defense with 16 blocked shots, and goalkeeper Mark Cleveland finished the game with 27 saves.