On Tuesday, April 9, 2024, the varsity Lincoln East girls soccer (LEGS) team met up with longtime city rival, the Southeast Knights. The highly anticipated match up, set at Seacrest Field at 5:00pm, would determine who would receive a number one seed in the upcoming Heartland Athletic Conference (HAC) tournament. The Spartans entered the game with a 7-1 record, and Knights with a 4-4 record. Lincoln East went into the half leading Southeast 3-1, which was ultimately the final score. The Spartans received a one-seed for the HAC tournament beginning on Tuesday, April 16, 2024.

Senior and captain Emma Engelman, was proud of the team’s effort in this big matchup. Engelman spoke to the team’s ability to capitalize in bigger matchups.

“It was pretty huge, because it is a big city rivalry between us,” Engelman said. “It was very good competition for us to have, and it definitely had a good impact on our team in building confidence.”

MaKynlie Cade, a junior captain and South Dakota State commit, is excited for the rest of the season. Cade had one goal in the victory against the Knights.

“Our biggest goal as a team is just connecting, because we have a really young team,” Cade said. “Making it to state again is another one.”

The LEGS will face Columbus on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at 11:00 AM on Seacrest Field in the HAC tournament. Their next regular season game will be on Saturday, April 20, 2024, versus Gretna at Gretna High School.