Girls' lacrosse: Blake triumphs amid storm

Ominous clouds? Blake defender Lauren Kelly never saw them bearing down. Stopping Eden Prairie's attack and winning Saturday's lacrosse state championship game consumed her focus.

"I saw a flash out of the corner of my eye and thought, 'Why are people taking pictures right now?' " Kelly said.

Kelly and teammates later smiled for pictures in a most unusual setting — the Chanhassen High School gymnasium.

Blake won its fifth consecutive state title, defeating Eden Prairie 11-7 in a game shortened by frequent lightning strikes.

The game was suspended with 3:41 to play. The rule book states games at least 80 percent complete are considered official, though members of both teams felt the game ended like a sentence without a period.

"You can't control the weather, but you feel like you've been robbed of the opportunity to really finish," said Judy Baxter, co-head coach of Eden Prairie. "A four-goal game is not out of reach."

"It's not the way we would have liked to end the game," said Olivia Nolan, Blake junior forward. Nolan scored two consecutive goals to give No. 1 seed Blake (17-2) an 11-7 lead with 9:23 to play. "It doesn't exactly feel like the game is over or that we won."

Before nature's formidable duo of thunder and lightning ruined its comeback attempt, No. 2 seed Eden Prairie (16-3) struggled with Blake's combination punches. On four different occasions, the Bears scored two goals in 35 or fewer seconds.

A big boost came when Anne Slusser scored twice within 33 seconds, followed 35 seconds later by a goal from Lydia Sutton. Their goals gave Blake a 9-6 lead in the second half. The rapid-fire attack was something new.

"We know how strong Eden Prairie's possession skills are, so when we had the ball we had to make it count," Blake coach Laura Mark said.

Saturday marked the seventh time in eight years that Blake and Eden Prairie met in the state championship game. The Bears lead the series 5-2. It also concluded Mark's coaching tenure. She stepped down to spend more time with her two children and get ready for her expected third child.

"It's emotional," Kelly said. "She's a great leader, a great role model and a great woman-figure for all the lacrosse players."

Said Mark: "It's been a privilege to be part of this program. I told Lydia Sutton before the game, 'It's been six long years — let's put one more together.' "

Stillwater scored the game's first five goals, but Apple Valley made the Ponies sweat out their 9-7 third-place victory. Stillwater's Carly Fedorowski and Carter Sanderson each scored three goals.

Katie Larson tallied five Apple Valley goals.