Cha Neng Lee sent the ball high toward the Como Park goal. The Como keeper at first appeared to have a bead on it, but the swirling wind caught the ball just inside the far post and he couldn't get his hands on it. And, just like that, St. Paul Humboldt High School had a 2-0 lead, and Lee notched what would turn out to be the game-winning goal. And Humboldt continued atop the boys' soccer standings in the St. Paul City Conference.

You might think an undefeated team in mid-September really isn't that big of a deal. After all, the 8-0 Humboldt boys still have many games left to play. And maybe at any other school, with any other group of 17 boys, you'd be right. But not with this team. Not at this school. At Humboldt, where winning at anything has been about as rare as Minnesota Super Bowl champions, these boys are becoming a big deal. From places as far-flung as Laos, Thailand, Somalia and Mexico, most of them are or have been in classes for students who cannot speak English.

And their second-year head coach admits there are times when his players don't understand him -- or each other.

"Sometimes, the practices run a bit longer," coach Matt Osborne joked about the extra time needed to get his point across.

And, yet, they understand this: When you play as a team, anything is possible.

"It's great," beamed Blanca Eguia, a Humboldt staff member whose son, Moises Flores, also is a member of the team. "They mean so much to this school."

At a time when high school soccer teams from Burnsville to Fridley are benefiting from an infusion of talented young players from countries around the world, perhaps no school is benefitting more this year than Humboldt. Rumored to be close to closing just a couple years ago, the West Side high school has since christened a new artificial turf field, seen its enrollment start to creep up and is working to hold on to more of its neighborhood kids.

A pride infusion

But it's the kids who have come from a world away that are pumping Humboldt with newfound pride.

When she wasn't shouting encouragement from the stands, teacher Lisa Boehlke pointed out that Humboldt's English language learners had the highest average scores on statewide math and reading tests of any group of English learners in the state. Out of the 20 kids listed on the Humboldt game program, 15 are or were in English language programs, said Jane Hall, another ELL teacher. And all of them come from homes where English is not the main language spoken.

"It [being on a winning team] really makes them feel a part of the school," Hall said. "It makes them feel really involved."

Osborne, 24 and in his second year coaching at any high school, knew that after last season, this group of kids could be special. While they didn't win many games, they competed, he said. And they began to buy into his defense-first system.

This year, while Humboldt has enjoyed no blow-out victories, they have beaten such traditional conference powers as St. Paul Central and St. Paul Highland Park on their way to an undefeated record.

Not a big deal? Humboldt's boys' soccer record from 1987, when it shared the conference title, through 2006 is 31-208-9. That's an average of more than 10 losses a year. Humboldt soccer has suffered losing streaks of 60 games, 26 games and 22 games.

Senior Furo Tufa, an 18-year-old from Ethiopia, knows Humboldt used to mostly lose. This year is different.

"We're doing good, we're practicing a lot," said the speedy midfielder. "And we listen to each other and we do what we're supposed to do."

Even if, forward Nate Ashenafi admits, they don't always understand what each other is saying.

"It was hard last year. We didn't always know what we were doing," he said. "But we got to know each other. And now it's all about teamwork."

For much of the Como Park game, Humboldt controlled the tempo and enjoyed the majority of the scoring chances. After taking the 2-0 lead in the second half, it appeared the Hawks would control the tempo for the remainder of the game.

Coaches know better

Erik Beeler is an assistant for Humboldt but has been a head coach at other schools and for elite club teams. Humboldt's players still let down their concentration too much, he said. But Friday was "a baby step" forward.

"We're getting better," he said, noting that most teams need at least four years together to really hit their stride. While many of the Humboldt players have been kicking soccer balls since they were toddlers, few have played organized ball and fewer still are on club rosters in the spring and summer.

What Humboldt players learn about soccer they pretty much learn during the high school season. But at a 900-student school -- small by urban standards -- that is too used to losing all these years, that appears to be good enough.

"We used to just stay in our own groups," Ashenafi said of the Asian, African and Hispanic players. "But everyone sticks together now. It's really all about the team."

James Walsh • 651-298-1541

James Walsh • jwalsh@startribune.com