Girls' lacrosse state semifinals: Eden Prairie, Blake again reach title game

The word "work," written in red capital letters on the inside of Eden Prairie forward Jessica Lagerquist's left wrist, helped propel the Eagles' lacrosse state tournament semifinal victory.

Lagerquist scored her team's final three goals as Eden Prairie won 13-6 against previously undefeated Apple Valley on Thursday at Chaska High School.

"I needed to work hard to get to that state championship dream," Lagerquist said.

The Eagles, upset in the semifinals last year, advance to face four-time defending state champion Blake at 5 p.m. Saturday at Chanhassen High School. Blake and Eden Prairie will meet for the seventh time in eight years of championship games.

No. 2 seed Eden Prairie started fast, getting out to a 5-0 lead. Then Eagles co-head coach Judy Baxter opted to minimize risk by maximizing possession time. The Eden Prairie attack exited the highway for the sidewalk.

"If you have the ball, they don't," Baxter said. "We came to win. We're not coming to please fans or parents."

Eden Prairie (16-2) neutralized Apple Valley senior midfielder Katie Larson, the state's scoring leader the past two years. Freshman defender Hannah Brink drew the assignment, face-guarding Larson and helping hold her to a lone goal.

Players and coaches at Apple Valley (17-1) took pride all season in their ability to battle back. True to form, the third-seeded Eagles scored three of the last four goals in the first half, cutting Eden Prairie's lead to 8-4 at halftime.

Eden Prairie played keepaway to start the second half, bleeding almost five minutes off the clock before Lagerquist scored the second of her five goals.

"We knew they are a second-half team," Lagerquist said. "They always come back stronger after the half. So we knew we had to keep working our hardest."

Blake 9, Stillwater 7: Blake coach Laura Mark calls it her last resort.

Get the ball to two-time Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year Lydia Sutton and see what happens.

Mark called Sutton's number in the second half of a tight game and teammate Jordan Chancellor off for a penalty. And Sutton delivered her team's final goal and provided a critical three-goal cushion with 8:19 remaining.

Four-time defending champion and No. 1 seed Blake sweated out its closest game against a Minnesota team this season. The Bears scored their fewest goals in a victory and won by the smallest margin.

"I'm proud of our team for coming out with this win," Sutton said. "You learn from games like these."

Stillwater's defense frustrated the Bears, who led 4-2 at halftime. The Ponies cut the deficit to 6-5 in the second half but got no closer.