SUPERIOR, Wis. – Say what you want, but the men's soccer rivalry between UW-Superior and St. Scholastica is one of the best, most fiercely played rivalries in the region. Equal parts skill and sandpaper, the Yellowjackets and the Saints have played some epic matches over the years, first as non-conference opponents and later as UMAC foes.
 
Next season the rivalry will once again return to its non-conference roots, as St. Scholastica makes the moved from the UMAC to the MIAC. But for one last time anyway, the teams renewed acquaintances, taking the pitch at the NBC Spartan Sports Complex in Superior.
 
The Yellowjackets scored once early and added three more goals in the second half to cruise past the Saints 4-0 before a vocal and energetic crowd.
 
With Wednesday's results, the Yellowjackets (8-1-0, 7-0-0 UMAC) are one win away from locking up their third consecutive UMAC title, and more importantly entering the post-season as the conference's top seed.
 
The 'Jackets opened the scoring early Wednesday when Archie Gjerdrum (St. Paul, Minn./Como Park) scored his first goal of the year, burying a shot from the left side of the box to make it 1-0 in the eighth minute. Miguel Ocampo (St. Louis Park, Minn./St. Louis Park) and Pontus Tavemark (Taeby, Sweden/Taeby Enskilden Gymnasium) teamed up to get the ball to Gjerdrum and earned assists on the play.
 
In the opening half the Yellowjackets attempted 11 shots to St. Scholastica's five, but the Saints had the edge in shots on goal at 3-2.
 
It stayed 1-0 well into the second half, but just short of the 62-minute mark, the Yellowjackets got some breathing room. Gjerdrum played the ball ahead on the left side and got Blake Perry (Anoka, Minn./Anoka) free in some space. The Yellowjacket sniper made no mistake, cutting to the middle and scoring his 10th goal of the year to make it 2-0.
 
The Yellowjackets extended the lead at 78:40 when Perry executed a corner kick into the box, and Sam Waylee Jr. (Abidjan, Ivory Coast/Morning Glory International School) finished it, directing the header into the goal for his second of the year to make the score 3-0.
 
Just over five minutes later the Yellowjackets extended the lead, and again it was Waylee Jr. getting the goal. In the 84th minute the Yellowjackets unleashed a barrage of point-blank shots at the top of the box that were blocked, but Waylee Jr. got a loose ball and drove it past the St. Scholastica goalkeeper for his second of the night, making the final score 4-0.
 
The Yellowjackets finished the match with 20 shots attempted compared to just six for St. Scholastica. Shots on goal also favored the Yellowjackets, 9-4.
 
Ulrik Lager (Vollen, Norway/Asker VGS) got the start in goal for the Yellowjackets and a solid, if not a largely uneventful night. He finished the contest with four saves.
 
The Yellowjackets will close the regular season and look to sew up the No. 1 seed in the UMAC tournament when they travel to Northland Saturday. The opening kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. at Ponzio Stadium in Ashland.