Last October, the CDH Girls Soccer season ended with a 1-0 loss to Wayzata in the section championship game. Wayzata would go to finish as state runner-up. The Raiders were so close to reaching their goals but it was not to be. 

After graduating some key players including Division 1 player Paige Goaley ’19, who now plays soccer for North Dakota State University, most programs would look at this season as a rebuilding year. Not the Raiders! CDH has come out of the gates strong this year with a string of impressive wins including a 3-0 victory over defending state champion Mahtomedi.

The impressive start to the season has not been a surprise to anyone who follows the program. After all, they are being led by a high school All-American in Paige Peltier ’20. The senior scored six goals in her first game of the season and has shown zero signs of slowing down. Peltier has committed to play college soccer for the University of Notre Dame next season and has been recognized as one of the top 40 players in the nation.

Peltier was able to represent her country this past summer competing for her club team in the Gothia Cup, held in Sweden. The Gothia Cup is considered the Junior World Cup and had teams competing from 75 nations. Peltier was named MVP of the tournament and led her club team to a world championship.

The experience of playing against world-class competition helped Peltier develop strong leadership skills on the most competitive stage you could ask for. “I was very vocal, helping all of our players adjust to the new surroundings and made sure we did things on the field as well as off to gel as a unit,” Peltier said 

That has continued this season for the Raiders. Peltier leads the team and state with 21 goals through 8 games. CDH has also received excellent play from goaltender Olivia Kalla ‘20, while Aimee Felder ‘22 leads the team in assists and forward Bridget Tierney ‘20 has provided key goals this season.

The Raiders currently have a 6-2 record and are expected to be a top seed in section play next month competing with Wayzata and Hopkins in a very competitive section.

You can follow the progress of the team at @CDHGSoccer.