Championship recap: The Blake School works together to win 4th straight Minnesota girls’ title

By Chris Goldberg
TopLaxRecruits.com, Posted 6/21/13

Anne Slusser says it’s a little tougher being the favorite to win a state championship.

So after The Blake School claimed a fourth straight Minnesota girls’ state title Saturday with a 14-12 win over Lakeville North at Chanhassen, Slusser said it was a just reward.

“For the most part, the past couple years we were the underdog,” said the junior standout. “What made this year special is that we didn’t have one person scoring five or six goals a game.

“Everybody contributed in every single game. This year we were all really close. We played together and we all had the same goal – we wanted to win a state title.”

The Blake School (16-3) had already defeated Lakeville North (14-5) by a 13-8 score on May 17. This time, the Bears raced to a 6-1 lead and held a 10-5 halftime advantage.

But the Panthers (14-5), who had reached the finals with a stunning 13-12 upset of Eden Prairie, rallied and closed within 13-10 with just under 10 minutes to play on a goal by Emmie Madsen (three goals).

But less than two minutes later, Jordan Chancellor (four goals) scored to make it 14-10. Lakeville North tallied two goals in the final five minutes.

Lydia Sutton had four goals and two assists for Blake School and Annie Lyman added three tallies. Slusser, who has committed to Duke, had a goal and three assists. Olivia Nolan and Adelaide Winton each added a goal and Hannah Magarian made five saves.

Hannah Koloski added three goals and an assist and Kacie Waagbo had two goals and an assist while Makayla Kubisiak scored twice for Lakeville North.

“We started off fast and strong near the end they made a nice comeback,” said Slusser. “Our coach (Laura Mark) said to stay composed and hold the ball and win draws.

Slusser said her team should be a force next year. It loses only three seniors and return nine sophomores that started or played regularly.

“I think this season saw the most growth, from beginning to end,” she said. “We really played as a team and just got better and better as the season went on.”