South girls lacrosse building toward another title run

Cougars drub defending state champion BSM 15-5

“Don’t get ahead of yourselves” is an admonishment teams frequently hear if they’re winning early in the season. Lakeville South’s girls lacrosse players are no exception.

Senior midfielder Sivanna O’Brien said the Cougars have gotten the message.

“We’ve tried to keep ourselves in check,” O’Brien said after the Cougars routed defending state champion Benilde-St. Margaret’s 15-5 on May 2 in a non-conference game between the top two teams in the state rankings. “This isn’t it. We can’t lose our focus. We haven’t gotten there yet. There are still so many things we can keep working toward. We know every practice has to be valuable and has to be worth it.”

Lakeville South, which finished second, first and third in the last three state tournaments, is giving every indication it can make another run at the championship this spring. The Cougars won their first six games, and those victories weren’t against just anybody. After getting past East Ridge 11-8 in their opener, South beat Chanhassen (2022 state runner-up), Prior Lake (2019 and 2021 state champion) and Benilde-St. Margaret’s (2023 state champion), all decisively. The Cougars also beat Eastview/Eagan 19-3 in South Suburban Conference play last week and downed Farmington 17-3 on Tuesday.

South scored the first seven goals of its game against BSM and breezed to victory. In last year’s state semifinals BSM upset the Cougars 14-13, scoring the winning goal with less than 10 seconds remaining. The Cougars were anxious to play the Red Knights again, but O’Brien said they didn’t have revenge on their minds.

“We were all very, very worried,” said O’Brien, who leads Lakeville South in goals, points and draw controls. “But I think it really helped us focus.”

O’Brien (three goals, two assists), Katie Grubbs (two goals, three assists) and Charlotte Fannin (one goal, four assists) had five-point nights against BSM. Ella Mills, a transfer who was Rosemount’s leading scorer in 2023, scored four goals and goalie Kate Baell made six saves.

Last season, Emily Moes, Gabby Bouman and O’Brien combined for 193 goals, with Moes scoring a state-high 81. Moes and Bouman have moved on Division I college lacrosse. This year’s Cougar offense is more balanced but perhaps no less dangerous. Through South’s first five games, five players have at least 10 goals.

“We have a bunch of kids that can step up and play, and we got goals from all kinds of people (against BSM),” Lakeville South coach Joel Tornell said. “Last year when we had those players with all that scoring power, we still played a team game. This year we’ve just been able to balance out the scoring a little more.”

Lakeville South is allowing just five goals per game. Some of that has to do with the Cougars’ possession time on offense, but they also have a solid defense with players such as Kali Nyberg and Grace Buesgens playing in front of Baell, also a returning starter.

“Our defenders are working together as a unit. It’s not about individual play, it’s about the team working together on defense,” Tornell said. “They really trust each other. They’re fast. And then we’re backstopped by a goalie who’s making the saves and playing outstanding. When we put all those things together and then possess the ball as much as we are, it works out great for us.”

The Cougars expected to be tested this week in games against Farmington (Tuesday), at home against Lakeville North (7:30 p.m. Thursday) and at No. 4-ranked Stillwater (1 p.m. Saturday). Farmington played Lakeville South for the Section 1 championship last season and Lakeville North appears to be making a resurgence having won four of its first five games. The Tigers and Panthers could be South’s main competition in the section playoffs that start later this month.

Asked how the Cougars can improve their play when they’re clearly playing at a high level already, O’Brien said “just don’t get too caught up in anything. Just play like we know how to play, and play the way we’ve been taught. Picturing ourselves playing in the games and then preparing for it. Then just go out, play lacrosse, and enjoy it.”