By Nick Gerhardt
Northfield extended its season Tuesday with a 3-0 win over Winona in the Section 1AA quarterfinals at Memorial Field at Northfield High School.
The third-seeded Raiders (7-7-1) scored all three goals in the second against the sixth-seeded Winhawks (2-12-2), a team they defeated 5-2 last Tuesday at Memorial Field.
Northfield senior striker Manny Ramriez started the scoring after converting a penalty kick he earned after getting fouled along the touchline near the Winona goal. He expertly placed his penalty kick shot inside the right post of the goal for the 1-0 advantage.
A free kick goal from junior midfielder Tait Narveson from 35 yards out in the 72nd minute provided some breathing room in the final minutes. Narveson’s kick found the goal after the Winhawks goalkeeper misplayed the ball and the Raiders had a 2-0 lead.
With two minutes remaining in the game Ramriez set up senior striker Geo Alfaro on a fantastic goal that Alfaro put into the upper right corner along the near post. Alfaro’s goal put Northfield up 3-0 and sealed the victory.
The Raiders move on to the semifinals to face the winner of second-seed Byron and seventh-seeded Waseca Thursday at 7 p.m. at the high seed.
