Lakeville North girls' soccer well-adjusted

Jeremiah Johnson knew there would be an adjustment period to him taking over the Lakeville North girls' soccer program. He didn't expect it to last long, and it didn't.

The senior-laden squad quickly adjusted to its new mentor. Lakeville North (12-2-1) concluded the regular season with a 10-game winning streak and finished second in the South Suburban Conference.

The Panthers, with nine seniors on their roster, were 2-2-1 after their first five games. They lost to Class 2A, No. 1 Eagan 2-0 and Class 1A, No. 1 Minneapolis Washburn 1-0.

"Lakeville North has been labeled as having a slow start to the season, and I think that is unfair to this group," Johnson said. "While becoming acclimated to a new coaching staff and a new system, this team has only come up short against the No. 1 team in Class 1A and No. 1 team in Class 2A."

Ranked eighth in Class 2A, Lakeville North recently defeated No. 2 Eastview 2-1 in a battle of South Suburban powers. Senior Polly Sjoberg and sophomore Olivia Bruce scored for the Panthers.

Junior Alexis Tousignant leads the offensive attack with nine goals this season. She recently had four goals in a three-game stretch. Sjoberg is second on the team with six goals.

The Panthers only allowed two goals over their final 10 games. They allowed seven in their first five matches.

Junior Hannah Cade has blossomed into a field general in the midfield. She has also taken on a mentoring role with freshman Haley Steel and sophomore defender Temi Carda.

"Our midfield has really become a force over the last two months," Johnson said. "The three of them have really formed a strong partnership in the spine of the field that allows the rest of our players the freedom to be dynamic."

Prior Lake's volleyball team has climbed to No. 1 in the Class 3A poll by the coaches association. It's the first time in school history that the program has reached that ranking.

The Lakers enter their final two South Suburban Conference matches with a 23-2 record after winning the Bachman Invitational in Lakeville this past weekend. Their only two setbacks have come at the hands of Owatonna and Eden Prairie.

Senior Brittany Luethmers also recently became the state leader in career digs, breaking the record of 1,802 held by Brittany Chambers of Jordan.

• Farmington standout Justin Hyytinen continues to enjoy an outstanding senior season running cross-country. Hyytinen was the boys' medalist in the Victoria Lions Invitational with a time 15 minutes, 49 seconds over the 5-kilometer course at the Chaska Golf Course.

• One of Hyytinen's conference rivals, senior Alex Berhe of Rosemount, was the boys' medalist at the Owatonna Invitational. He posted a time of 16 minutes, 16.8 seconds over the 5-kilometer course at Brooktree Golf Course.