Last season, St. Mary's was Exhibit A for why the West Region boys soccer tournament is a great idea or a bad one, depending on your point of view.

In 2007, the Saints had an excellent season wiped out by a shocking regional tournament loss to Jamestown.

The memory of that loss was still fresh in the Saints' minds Friday, and St. Mary's wasn't about to let history repeat itself.

Joe Fladeland had a hat trick as the West's regular-season champs ensured a berth in next week's state tournament with a 3-0 semifinal win over Minot.

"It's a great feeling. We're already farther than we got last year," said Fladeland, a senior forward. "We wanted to make a statement."

Fladeland got St. Mary's on the board when he converted a nice through ball from freshman Patrick Fernandez in the 30th minute.

The Saints kept up the pressure in the second half, Fladeland scoring off crosses from Travis Huber and Micah Goebel.

Fladeland, a 2007 all-stater who has been slowed all season by a quadriceps injury, now has six goals in his last three games. But he deflected praise to his teammates.

"We've got a great midfield, that's the only reason Igot any goals," Fladeland said. "Their passing is great, and we were following up on shots."

St. Mary's will take on Century at 5 p.m. today at Mandan's Dacotah Centennial Park for the region title.

First half:1. SM, Joe Fladeland (Patrick Fernandez), 29:44.

Second half:2. SM, Fladeland (Travis Huber), 67:07. 3. SM, Fladeland (Micah Goebel), 70:02.

Halftime:SM 1, M 0.

Goalkeeper saves:M - Kent Luetzen unavailable. SM - Michael Gilchrist unavailable.

Records:M 7-11-0; SM 11-2-4.

Century 2, Bismarck 0

Nick Anderson had the scoring touch, netting two goals as Century handled Bismarck in a semifinal matchup.

The junior forward had four regular-season goals, but Century coach Joel Jahnke said that Anderson's impact hasn't been reflected in his stats.

"Nick's been a player who's had a great season, but his numbers don't show it," Jahnke said. "He's been probably one of the most dangerous players with few goals."

The Patriots completely dominated Bismarck - which was clearly showing fatigue after beating Jamestown in overtime earlier on Friday - outshooting the Demons 30-3.

Anderson got Century on the board on a corner kick in the 16th minute, knocking in a cross from Brett Kelly with his chest.

Jahnke tinkered with his lineup, overloading the left side, which created some opportunities for Anderson. That paid off when Ryan Buchholz set up Anderson for his second goal.

"They moved me from forward to left mid, so I could take shots from outside," Anderson said. "I'm used to playing midfield, and Ialways like when I can take shots from out there."

Bismarck coach Tim Green said his team - playing its fifth game in seven days - couldn't match up with Century's fresh legs.

"The first game was emotional a little bit, and tiring," he said. "… You come out here for a raring and ready and quality team in Century, and it makes it difficult."

First half:1. C, Nick Anderson (Brett Kelly), 15:54.

Second half:2. C, Anderson (Ryan Buchholz), 53:29.

Halftime:C 1, B 0.

Goalkeeper saves:B - Connor Kelley 7-5-12. C - Michael Frenzel 1-1-2.

Records: B 10-7-1; C 12-2-3.

Minot 3, Mandan 2, 2OT

Alex Wohl scored off a corner kick 1:03 into the second overtime as Minot escaped with a quarterfinal win over Mandan.

The Braves came into the game with just one win. Hampered by injuries, Mandan had been outscored 19-0 in its previous three games, but came out strong.

Nick Aasand and Chad Brinkman scored early in the first half to give the Braves a 2-0 lead. Minot rallied with goals by David Hauck and Zach Pulkinen, his 18th of the season.

Though the Braves didn't win, coach Chad Heck said it was a huge step in the right direction.

"For tomorrow, I think our kids are going to come out and say, 'We can play soccer,' " Heck said. "That's what we needed to get back into it, because these last couple of games of the regular season really took the wind out of our sails."

First half:No scoring.

Second half:1. Mandan, Nick Aasand (Scott Kruckenberg), 47:04. 2. Mandan, Chad Brinkman (unassisted), 53:17. 3. Minot, David Hauck (unassisted), 48:30. 4. Minot, Zach Pulkinen(Alex Wohl), 72:00.

First overtime: No scoring.

Second overtime:5. Minot, Wohl (unassisted), 91:03.

Halftime:Minot 0, Mandan 0.

Goalkeeper saves:Mandan - Jonathan Tischmak 17. Minot - Kent Luetzen 7.

Records:Mandan 1-14-2; Minot 7-10-0.

Bismarck 2, Jamestown 1, OT

Kaleb Graham scored 2:31 into overtime as Bismarck held off winless Jamestown in a quarterfinal matchup.

The Demons piled up an 18-4 edge in shots. But Bismarck was befuddled byJamestown's offside trap, getting caught 23 times.

"It's unacceptable," Green said. "We gave away far too many chances. We adjusted a little bit, got some things going on and ended up winning, but it wasn't pretty."

Randy Tardif scored Bismarck's first goal, while Erick Paiement accounted for Jamestown's score.

First half:1. B, Randy Tardif (Mark Hovland), 3:35. 2. J, Erick Paiement (unassisted), 27:18.

Second half:No scoring.

Overtime:3. B, Kaleb Graham (unassisted), 82:31.

Halftime:B 1, J 1.

Goalkeeper saves:J - Austin Hoggarth 13. B - Connor Kelley 6.

Records:J 0-15-2; B 10-6-1.