In a rematch of last year’s Section 6 semifinals, Sophie Roux scored four times in the opening 8 minutes, igniting a 12-goal first half for No. 2-seeded Benilde-St. Margaret's in a 16-6 win over No. 3 Cretin-Derham Hall on Thursday night at Benilde-St. Margaret’s High School.
The Red Knights beat the the Raiders 15-6 last Thursday, and overconfidence and nerves can be problematic in the playoffs.
“We always try to overestimate our opponents,” Roux said. “They’re a good team. You never want to be too cocky -- you always want to go into it humble and play your best.”
Roux opened the game scoring 2 minutes in. Her quick feet cut allowed her to repeatedly slice her way to the net, and she scored three consecutive goals in a span of 4 minutes as the Red Knights bolted to a 5-0 lead.
“They really came out hard,” Benilde-St. Margaret's coach Ana Bowlsby said about her players. “I wasn’t expecting our first five goals to come like they did.”
Because of the Red Knights' 10-run lead, the mercy rule came into effect in the final 10 minutes of the first half.
Cretin-Derham Hall's Giselle Rogers notched a hat trick in the second half, but it came too late as the No. 4-ranked Red Knights return to the Section 6 finals against top-seeded and four-time defending state champion Blake.
Bowlsby and assistant coach MaKenna Borg both are Eden Prairie alumni. The Eagles ae the other established dynasty in girls’ lacrosse. All but one of the state title games in the sport’s young history has involved Blake and Eden Prairie. Though a fiery rivalry has been set in stone since the beginning, Bowlsby happens to admire the competition.
“We work with all those girls in the summer, and it’s fun to see them and play,” Bowlsby said about Blake.
With a new era of of teams on the rise, the level of play in Minnesota continues to grow exponentially.
“It’s fun to see a lot more parity happen in the sport,” Bowlsby said. “We like to get different faces up there. It’s nice too see Apple Valley coming out, Lakeville South, Farmington -- it’s great to see.”
Bowlsby’s rivalry with Blake has since been rekindled following a one-goal loss to Blake in last year’s section finals.
Roux, one of six freshmen on last year's team that almost pulled off the upset of the Bears, said that with experience comes confidence.
“We’ve had a lot more practice, we’ve grown more as a team, and our coaches are great,” Roux said.
Now 10 sophomores strong and led by the senior scoring trio of Abby Sauer, Ali Praus, and Kelly Pannek, the Red Knights are rearmed for another section title match.
Home-field advantage can’t hurt Benilde-St. Margaret's. The Red Knights will host the Bears next Tuesday.
“It’s always nice playing at your home field in front of your fans,” Roux said. “Especially when you’re used to it -- our field is a little wide - so we know how to work it well.”
Can experience and home turf be enough to knock off arguably Blake’s best team in recent years?
“One would hope," Bowlsby said. "I hate to say anything for sure.”
-- Trevor Squire
