September 2025

The challenges keep coming.

And Middleton’s boys soccer team keeps knocking them out of the park.

The Cardinals, who have won two straight WIAA Division 1 state championships, posted three quality wins last week and improved to 6-0 on the season.

Middleton defeated Madison Memorial, 2-0, on Sept. 9 and downed Sun Prairie East, 3-1, on Sept. 11. The Cardinals then edged Geneva (Ill.), 1-0, on Sept. 13.

“A tough week, but three gritty wins,” Middleton coach Kevin Pauls said. “I told the team this week, we're getting wins and we're still learning who we are and still haven't played our best soccer.” 

Here’s a recap of the Cardinals’ week.

• Middleton 2, Madison Memorial 0 — Cormac Carlson had a pair of goals and the Cardinals posted a hard fought win.

“As always, Memorial played us tough,” Pauls said. “They have a couple guys that seem like they have been there five or six years and are very good.”

The girls state swimming and diving meet is nearly two months away.

But a mini-state meet was held at Brookfield East High School last Saturday.

Many of the state’s elite teams competed at the Brookfield East Invite. And Middleton — the two-time defending state champion — showed it will be hard to dethrone.

The Cardinals finished with 520 points to outdistance runner-up Minnetonka (Minn.), which had 481.5 points. Verona was third with 347 and was the closest team from Wisconsin to Middleton, while Muskego (229) and Brookfield East (185) rounded out the top five at the 12-team invite.

“Our team did an amazing job of swimming fast and supporting one another,” Cardinals first-year coach Andrew Cotton said. “The energy and enthusiasm they have at each meet is bringing out the best in one another and I am excited for another great week. They continue to impress me both in and out of the pool.”

The postseason is just around the corner for girls golf teams across the state.

And Middleton, ranked No. 3 in the latest Golf Coaches Association of Wisconsin poll, is playing awfully well at the perfect time.

Middleton finished in a second place tie at the 20-team Franklin Invite held at Tuckaway Country Club on Sept. 8. The Cardinals then won the 18-team Janesville Parker Invite held at Riverside Golf Course on Sept. 13.

“I feel good about where we’re at,” Middleton coach Becky Halverson said. “The girls are confident, they’re competing hard, and each week we’re tightening up the little things.”

No. 1 ranked Division Savior Holy Angels won the Franklin Invite with a 310, while the Cardinals tied for second with Brookfield East with a 330. Bay Port (342), Waukesha’s combined team (358) and Sussex Hamilton (362) rounded out the top six at the 20-team event.