Before their state quarterfinal game against La Crescent-Hokah on Tuesday, the Watertown-Mayer Royals shucked off long puffer coats and pulled their sleeves down over gloved hands. Their warm welcome to their first-ever state tournament was the coldest night of the fall thus far.

The Royals, the No. 2 seed in the Class 1A bracket, won’t have to worry about the weather next Wednesday. With a 1-0 win over the Lancers at Farmington High School, Watertown-Mayer earned another first: a trip to U.S. Bank Stadium for the program’s first state semifinal game.

The Royals will play the winner of No. 3 St. Cloud Cathedral and random draw St. Paul Academy, which takes place Thursday at Spring Lake Park High School.

“It’s unimaginable. I’m so excited for our next game, and just to be at state, like our team is so hype and excited about everything,” senior forward Kaylee Eggiman said. “We know the Bank will be warm.”

Eggiman didn’t think her early goal, scored three minutes into the game, would stand as the game-winner. Junior forward Elly Allen dashed up the right wing and snuck a pass through the 18-yard box to Eggiman, who shot low for her ninth goal of the season.

The Royals (19-1-0) held on for their 15th shutout of the fall. Head coach Dan Menk said the wind — so strong that the corner flags kept toppling over and had to be replaced with cones — “changed everything for both teams on both sides of the ball,” making it difficult to take control of the game.

Watertown-Mayer senior goalkeeper Lauren Grimm snuffed out the Lancers’ best chance by taking the ball off the foot of freshman forward Anna Wood during a first-half breakaway.

“Between our keeper and our defenders being able to play smart and just keep that ball in front of them, it was a huge challenge tonight, because again, not only the team we were playing but the elements,” Menk said.

La Crescent-Hokah (14-3-4), out of southeast Minnesota, was on its seventh trip to state, and first since 2013.

Located on the edge of the west metro, Watertown-Mayer booked its first trip to the state tournament with a 1-0 win over last year’s 1A state runner-up, Southwest Christian, in its Section 6 championship game.

Led in scoring by sophomore midfielder Ainsley Blair’s 26 goals, Watertown-Mayer spent most of the year ranked No. 1 in the coaches association’s Class 1A poll, until Providence Academy moved ahead just before the state tournament.

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Providence starts title defense

Providence Academy knows something about defending state championships.

Sisters Maddyn and Beckett Greenway have been a key part of the Lions’ four consecutive basketball state titles. On Tuesday, their combined 11 goals in a 14-0 win over Albert Lea in the Class 1A quarterfinals moved the program (16-3-1) one step closer to defending its first state title.

“The target on our backs … we’ve kind of just built that culture, and we’re used to it,” Beckett Greenway said.

Providence will face the winner of No. 4 Esko vs. No. 5 St. Croix Prep, to be played Wednesday at White Bear Lake High School. Esko shut out Providence 0-0 in the regular season.

Maddyn Greenway, Class 1A’s Ms. Soccer winner and Minnesota’s all-time leading goalscorer, bagged a first-half hat trick to put the Lions up 4-0 at the break. She scored four more times in the first dozen minutes of the second half.

After halftime, “We just kind of hit another gear,” she said.

Her sister, a freshman, netted four goals, including two from long range that she admitted might have been attempted crosses caught by the wind on a blustery night.

In the second half, eighth-grade midfielder Elise Jensen scored a brace, and junior forward Greta Reetz netted another goal from distance.

Albert Lea (9-8-3) burst through a tough stretch of midseason games to finish the season on a 6-1 run, win its section tournament as a No. 3 seed and return to state for the first time since 2014.

Other Tuesday quarterfinals:

Class 2A

No. 1 Mahtomedi 3, random draw Grand Rapids 0

The defending Class 2A state champion beat Grand Rapids at Forest Lake High School. The Thunderhawks were making their first trip to the state tournament. The Zephyrs, including All-Minnesota goalkeeper Harlow Berger, earned their 12th shutout of the season.

No. 5 Byron 2, No. 4 Mankato East 1 (OT)

Mankato East ended Byron’s undefeated season. Sophomore forward Laina Peterson put the Cougars up in the first half, and junior forward Grace Campbell slipped in the overtime winner to send Mankato East back to the semifinals against No. 1 Mahtomedi.

The Zephyrs knocked out the Cougars in last year’s semifinals, 7-0.

Class 3A

No. 1 Wayzata 1, random draw St. Michael-Albertville 0 (OT)

In overtime, sophomore defender Morgan Bryant knocked in an in-swinging corner from junior Lauren Craig to send defending champion Wayzata through to the semifinals against the winner of Thursday’s game pitting No. 5 Prior Lake and No. 4 Lakeville North.

No. 2 Stillwater 3, random draw Duluth East 0

Jenna Kurth scored twice for the Ponies (17-1-1), who advanced to a semifinal against the winner of a Thursday game between No. 3 Eagan and Mounds View. The high-flying Duluth East offense was the 13th opponent Stillwater has blanked this fall.