Junior Ellie Anderson scored midway through the second half to give Stillwater what appeared to be a comfortable five-goal lead against No. 7-ranked Minnetonka.
Then the Skippers rattled four unanswered goals and had possession with 10 seconds left, but they were unable to get a shot on goal and the Ponies escaped with a 12-11 victory on Thursday at Stillwater High School.
"It was a little crazy, but I am proud of how we played and defended on the last play," senior Natalie Gjermo said. "It wasn't going to be easy, but I am so happy with the win."
"This is pretty much what we expected from them (Minnetonka)," Ponies coach Rick Reidt said. "We had a 21-20 win against them last year, so we know that they are capable of making a run like that."
Last year Stillwater had a 21-17 lead with five minutes left in the second half and were able to hang on for the win.
Thursday night was a battle of back-and-forth runs. The Skippers grabbed a quick 3-1 lead, only to have the Ponies rattle off five straight themselves.
Minnetonka tied the score with less than four minutes to go in the first half, but the Ponies scored four goals to take a 10-6 lead.
Gjermo led Stillwater with three goals, all in the first half, and was one of the goal scorers during that final spree.
Ali Ridge scored four times and Julia Robinson scored three to lead the Skippers, and the duo tallied four of Minnetonka's five goals in the second half.
Stillwater has been getting a taste of the best of the Lake Conference of late and it could not have come at a better time with the playoffs starting next week. The Ponies lost 8-7 to No. 2-ranked Eden Prairie on Tuesday.
"You can't ask for a better schedule heading into sections," Reidt said. "Played against two strong teams, and then to end it on a good note, showing some poise at the end was great."
"I feel we are heading in the right direction," Gjermo said. "We had some tough losses at the beginning of the season, but to play like this against two really good teams says something about how special this team is."
