Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Howard Lake, Lester Prairie, Winsted, Watertown, Mayer, New Germany, Waverly, MN and the surrounding area

PREP GIRLS SOCCER: Thonn, Royals shine on Senior Night


WATERTOWN – Senior Night is always a special moment for high school athletes. It can mean many different things to them. For Watertown-Mayer senior Alaina Thonn, it meant getting the chance to play in front of family which hasn’t happened at all this year.

Thonn’s parents made the move to Wisconsin before the season began, leaving her to play soccer on her own. On Senior Night, Thonn’s father was in attendance to see her score two early goals in W-M’s 5-0 win over Mound Westonka Thursday night.

“It meant a lot because it was Senior Night,” Thonn said about having her dad at the game. “I’ve never had any of my parents here to watch the games, so it kind of meant a lot.”

Thonn wasted no time in putting on a show for her dad. Her first goals of the game came less than 10 minutes into the game. After that, she followed it up with another goal giving W-M a 2-0 lead less than 12 minutes into the game.

“Her parents moved to Wisconsin and tonight her dad was here to see her,” W-M coach Joseph Perez said. “They haven’t seen her all season. For her to have a great night, I’m sure she’s excited that he was here to see that.”

After two quick goals from Thonn, she gained the attention of the Mound Westonka defense. That opened things up for players like Maris Heun and Eleanor Rundell. Goals from Heun and Rundell gave the Royals a commanding 4-0 lead at the half.

“I think that’s the model for the season,” Perez said. “We can come to you from every direction. That’s what you want. To have a balanced attack. All the teams tell us that they can’t prepare for us one way or the other because of all the things we do. It’s kudos to the team.”

The win for the Royals makes it back-to-back wins after a disappointing loss to Holy Family last week. With things back on track, W-M will turn their attention to the Waconia Wildcats.

“You have amnesia,” Perez said. “You have to be able to forget the wins as much as the losses. You got to learn your lesson. It’s a young group. They’re still learning, but to bounce back from an emotional letdown like that, it shows a lot about their maturity, as well.”

A matchup with the Waconia Wildcats awaits the Royals next week. Not only will it be a big game down the stretch of the regular season, but it will also be for the Wright County Conference title.

“I think we all just need to get over Holy Family and New Prague,” Thonn said. “We beat New Prague, but we were not proud of how we played. We need to connect again and pay our top game against Waconia.”

Waconia and Watertown-Mayer will face off Tuesday, Oct. 6 in Watertown at 7 p.m. The winner will be the Wright County Conference champions.

“No nerves,” Perez said about what he wants to see from his team. “I want them to be excited, but calm at the same time. They need to enjoy the moment. This doesn’t come along very often. Our school has never played for a conference title. I couldn’t ask for anything better. I’ve been coaching this group for four years now. It’s been a work in progress, but here we are.”

For the complete story and more Delano sports coverage, check out the Friday, Oct. 9  edition of the Herald Journal. Click here for subscription information. 

Follow Kip Kovar on Twitter for in-game updates, schedule changes, and more.

Twitter: @Kovar_HJSports 

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