A rewarding final chapter
Mollie Leiding's senior season earns All-State selection, Ms. Minnesota finalist nod
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FAIRMONT - Mollie Leiding didn't expect to get this much recognition. Her focus on Monday, Oct. 19, was helping Fairmont Area girls soccer win its semifinal matchup against Stewartville in the 2026 Section 2A Girls Soccer Tournament.
Fans at Jeffery Kot Fields saw another sharp performance from the senior midfielder. Leiding finished the 80-minute contest with a goal in both halves and helped the Cardinals clinch a trip to the following Section 2A Championship.
After the final horn, Fairmont Area head coach Matt Nielsen announced Leiding would receive an honor that caught her off guard. Leiding was one of five finalists for Class A Soccer's Ms. Minnesota. Nielsen received an email the day before about her nomination. The announcement came as a complete surprise for Leiding.
"I had found out about being nominated for All-State a couple of days before, but the Stewartville game was when I found out about Ms. Minnesota, when he [Matt Nielsen] announced it in our 'Penguin dance,'" Leiding said. "I was honestly kind of shocked. Coming from a smaller area, I never really thought I'd get that recognition. But it was really cool. I was very happy I got it."
Leiding is on the way to earning her third Big South Conference Girls Soccer All-Conference Team placement. Her selection to the 2026 Class A All-State Soccer Team and status as a finalist for Class A Soccer's Ms. Minnesota serve as an exclamation point for what has been an impressive four-year varsity career. Four years of starting almost every game and contributing to 42 Cardinal victories.
"I worked a lot in the offseason," Leiding said. "Getting those awards, it feels great, and shows that my work has really paid off. Having it be my senior year was really cool and definitely rewarding."
For Nielsen, Leiding's impact on the Fairmont Area program went beyond the pitch. Leiding, along with other team leaders, helped turn the roster into a dedicated group that consistently fought to play its best soccer.
Striving on and off the field helped the Cardinals record their second-most wins in the past seven seasons. Fairmont Area finished the 2026 fall with a 13-3-2 record, celebrated an 11-game winning streak, and hoisted its second consecutive Big South Conference Championship with a win over New Ulm.
"Together with Abbie Simpson, the other captain, she was able to be dedicated to creating a team atmosphere that was a tight group, but also the most competitive roster I've ever seen," Nielsen said. "What Mollie is at her heart is competitive. Competitive doesn't mean you just want to win. It means you are willing to do the work it takes to have your best performance. The team that I had was a team that would compete all the time."
Finding another gear
Fairmont Area's offense turned into quite a weapon this past season. The Cardinals averaged just under four goals over 18 games, an almost one-goal increase, while netting five goals or more on seven different occasions.
Leiding was one reason her team's scoring attack ramped up production. She described herself as playing with high confidence throughout the campaign. The previous varsity seasons and work through the off-months helped Leiding net 23 goals while dishing 10 assists. Leiding finished her Fairmont Area career with 50 goals and 22 assists.
"My coaches had me at a different position this year, and I think that helped open up a lot of opportunities down the middle and gave me better looks on goal," Leiding said. "From my freshman year to now, I've definitely grown a lot. The experience definitely helped build that confidence and makes everything easier. And of course, my teammates worked hard and set me up for goals. A lot of that wouldn't have happened without them."
Leiding wasn’t the only contributor to Fairmont Area’s offensive success. Simpson and first-year varsity starter Olive Kawecki provided production from the outside midfield positions, while Leiding and Frankie Martin controlled the interior. Behind them, the Cardinals’ defense allowed fewer than a goal per game and recorded seven shutouts, consistently limiting opponents’ opportunities while creating chances to transition into the attack.
"We had such a strong midfield, and a terrifically strong defense that made it easy to transition into offense in the midfield and forwards," Nielsen said. "We also had a great overall team speed. You combine all those things, with a bunch of really smart players, and it made for a potent offense and really, really strong defense."
A college dream realized
Aspirations to play collegiate soccer didn't happen overnight. Leiding said her goal to play at the next level dates back to her seventh-grade season. Once fall soccer started, a goal to play past high school was set.
Colleges started showing interest the summer before Leiding's junior year. Gustavus Adolphus College, Concordia College, Crown College, the University of Wisconsin-Superior, and the University of Wisconsin-River Falls were among the programs that showed interest.
"It definitely gave me a confidence boost and showed that I could do it [play collegiate soccer]," Leiding said. "I think that just helped throughout the process. You start to get the hang of it, the experience, and knowledge of what it's all like. It made everything else a lot easier."
Her recruiting journey took a different direction in September 2025. Leiding reached out to Southwest Minnesota State University. Both sides stayed in touch before Mustangs head coach Clay Glasgow attended a few of Leiding’s fall games with Fairmont Area and summer club soccer contests.
Leiding visited Marshall in April. She fell in love with everything soon after setting foot on campus. Seeing the program in person helped make her official commitment on Aug. 10 an easy decision.
"As soon as I set foot [on campus], it felt like home," Leiding said. "I got to talk to one of the professors for my major, exercise science, and he reassured me that I could do it and treated me like I already went there. The coaches are what caught my eye from the beginning. They all had such a good sense of humor, and you could see just how hard they worked for the program."