After an early season slip-up against No. 6-seeded Apple Valley, the No. 3 Wildcats’ offense has since been running like clockwork with Noah Simpson behind the gears, notching seven points in a 17-8 win in the Section 3 quarterfinals against the Eagles Friday night at Eagan High School.

“We have so many good players that can score, they can’t really lock just one person up,” Simpson said. “Whoever they lock out we have one more person who can step up.”

Graduating Michael Kukulski (who scored 62 goals last season), along with two other senior attackmen, the scoring duties needed to be handed down.

One player who was nameless amongst Eagan’s top tier talent last year was Cameron Torres-Busch. Torres, now a senior, has been waiting in the wings for his turn and currently leads the Wildcats with 44 goals, including a game-high five on the evening.

“Torres has always been a staple player — probably the best hands I’ve ever seen — actually sometimes too fancy,” Eagan head coach Bob Felter said about Torres. “He’s an enigma — he’s up and down — he’s been there and has been waiting for the opportunity to play, that’s what we tell a lot of kids ‘you gotta hang in there’ ”

“It’s been great coming out as a senior,” Torres said. “You get to help create our team and help guys stay positive and work as a team.”

No. 10-ranked Eagan slid from the No. 1 spot after dropping their last two games in April against No. 14 Apple Valley and No. 1 Rosemount.

“They’re a team of hustle and heart,” Felter said about the Eagles. “They beat us on fastbreak and transitions the first time - that’s their forte.”

Having already experienced some bumps in the road, Eagan didn’t think twice when starting goalie Daniel Sachs went down with a one goal lead in the beginning of the second quarter. 

“When I saw Daniel get hit I thought ‘alright here’s the moment’ so I just kinda went out there and gave it my all,” said backup goaltender Jackson Vrieze.

Vrieze started a little cold allowing a goal during his first two minutes in net, but recovered well stopping 18 shots in his first two quarters of play.

“They did a really good job locking up their man and picking off some of the shots,“ Vrieze said about Eagan’s defense. “Giving them some tough shots made them easier for me to take.”

Eagan will now move on to play No. 2-ranked Prior Lake, a team that Noah Simpson put up an additional seven points against last Tuesday in a 12-6 win to close the regular season.

“We’re a run and gun team — mainly fast break — we have a hard time getting away from that cause it’s fun to play lacrosse like that,” Felter said about the win over the Lakers. “It lends itself to a lot of turnovers. That particular game there was no turnovers that I can remember.”

Beating a team two times in a row at home is a daunting task, but Simpson feels the Wildcats are up for the challenge.

“It’s going to be a tough game, we’re just going to have to work hard and play like we did last time.”    

First Report

No. 3-seeded Eagan's high-octane offense was in top gear on Friday night against No. 6 Apple Valley in a 17-8 Section 3 quarterfinal victory at Eagan High School.

Eagan's Cam Torres-Busch had a game-high five goals, and teammate Noah Simpson led all players with seven points, including five assists.

Torres scored his fourth and fifth goals in the final quarter, with assists rewarded to fellow attackmen Simpson and Kevin Sturgeon.

Apple Valley rallied late in the game with secondary players in on both sides, but the outcome of the had been long decided in the second and third quarters where the Wildcats outscored the Eagles 9-2.

Eagan now advances to the Section 3 semifinals against No. 2-seeded Prior Lake next Tuesday.

Eight minutes into the first quarter, the Eagles got on the board with a goal from Jacob Dewall. Off the ensuing draw, the Wildcats charged downfield where Simpson found Torres at the edge of the net for his second goal, just 10 seconds removed from an Eagles’ celebration.

Starting goalie Daniel Sachs took a shot to between the legs in the opening minute of the second quarter. Jackson Vrieze relieved Sachs and played strong while the game was still tight, saving 18 shots through the second and third quarters.

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