Championship Saturday in boys and girls lacrosse
Big-time hardware is on the line when Edina and Benilde-St. Margaret's meet for the girls title (3:30pm) and Prior Lake faces Lakeville North (6pm) for the boys championship.
June 16, 2023 at 10:50PM
Benilde-St. Margaret's (No. 5 seed, 16-2) vs. Edina (No. 2, 16-2)
3:30 p.m., Stillwater High School
Why Benilde-St. Margaret's will win: The Red Knights boast the All-Metro First-Team goalkeeper in Brooke Nelson. She made several key saves in helping the Red Knights upset top-seeded Lakeville South in the semifinal round. They also have a patient offense that can create scoring chances off passing plays and individual efforts.
Why Edina will win: The Hornets have a lot of speed through the middle of the field. They can turn defense to offense in a hurry and can score in bunches. It doesn't hurt that they have one of the state's top goaltenders as well in Uma Corneia.
Key to the game: Whichever team solves the opposing goaltender will win. Nelson and Corneia take up two of the three spots on the All-Metro Teams. Scoring will be at a premium.
Worth knowing: Both teams are looking for their first state title. The Hornets are in the tournament for the first time while the Red Knights are in their third.
JOE GUNTHER
BOYS LACROSSE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
Prior Lake (No. 4 seed, 14-4) vs. Lakeville North (No. 2, 16-2)
6 p.m., Stillwater High School
Why Prior Lake will win: "They are a really scrappy team," said Benilde-St. Margaret's senior Caio Stephens after the Red Knights semifinal loss. "They work really hard and they battle for the ground balls at the faceoff X. We weren't getting as many of our guys to the ball as they did when it was on the ground. That gave them extra possessions and more opportunities to score."
Why Lakeville North will win: "They played much better on-ball defense than when we saw them earlier this year," said Shakopee coach Sean Pollock after his team's semifinal loss. "Their defensive midfielders played one heck of a game. We had two possessions to win the game and we didn't even get a shot on net. Hats off to their defense."
Key to the game: "You've got [Lakeville North faceoff specialist] Quinn Power over there and he was the Metro Player of the Year for a reason," Pollock said. "You can be up three goals with one minute left, and he can win you three faceoffs and go down and score."
Worth knowing: Prior Lake defeated Lakeville North 12-5 in the 2016 state tournament championship game, the start of three Lakers titles in four seasons from 2016-2019. Lakeville North defeated Prior Lake 19-12 on May 9 as the Lakers fell to 1-4 to start the season.
DAVID La VAQUE
Six players plus head coach Garrett Raboin and assistant coach Ben Gordon are from Minnesota. The tournament’s games will be televised starting Monday.
