Blake juniors Adelaide Winton and Olivia Nolan combined for nine goals on Tuesday in the top-seeded and top-ranked Bears' 17-3 victory over No. 2 seed Benilde-St. Margaret's in the Section 6 championship at Benilde-St. Margaret's School in St. Louis Park.

The game-breaking efforts by Winton and Nolan offered further proof of Blake's ocean-deep layers of scoring.

“Olivia does a great job getting open at the right times, she finishes well and that is something she has been working on since ninth grade,” Blake coach Laura Mark said. “(Winton) I think is the one that gets lost in the shuffle as people pay attention to Anne or Lydia.” 

Mark was referring to two of her Division I recruits, seniors Anne Slusser (Duke) and Lydia Sutton (Southern California). Both players demand a lot of defensive attention, which opens up lanes for Nolan and Winton. 

Nolan said having teammates that are next-level talents is a lot of fun, and she credits them for setting her up with scoring chances. 

Nolan, Blake's leading goal scorer with 69 this season, was the first Bear on the board as she beat sophomore Red Knight goalie Anna DeGiulio at the 1:42 mark. The goal came after Benilde-St. Margaret’s drew first blood. 

Red Knight senior Kelly Pannek scored her first of two goals 58 seconds into the contest and nine minutes later she struck again. But it was all Blake after that. The Bears scored six unanswered to end the half – three courtesy of Nolan. 

The first half lead was necessary, Mark said, because the Red Knights are a fast, athletic team and the Bears did not want to get into a “run-and-gun” game with them. 

Nolan answered her coaches call to early action with all four of her goals coming in the first half. It was almost as if she then handed the scoring duties over to Winton, who scored four of her five goals in the second half. 

Winton said her teammates came out with a lot of energy and they continued to display their strong team chemistry throughout the final half.  

“We were great moving the ball and seeing the open player,” Winton said. 

Nolan, Winton and the Bears secured a state tournament berth with the win and are the likely No. 1 seed as the quarterfinals begin next Tuesday. 

Nolan said her mind is on securing a fifth consecutive state title for the Bears, but she has thought about playing college softball after her 2015 graduation. 

“I am not sure what my plans are yet,” she said. “I have talked to some colleges, and the search is still going.” 

Winton, also a member of the 2015 class, said her teammates have worked hard the entire season but there is still work to be done. 

“If we keep our energy and motivation up then I don’t think there is anyone who can stand in our way,” Winton said. 

-- Ellis Williams

First Report

Adelaide Winton scored five goals and Olivia Nolan had four as four-time defending state champion and No. 1 seed Blake earned a berth in the state tournament on Tuesday with a 17-3 triumph over No. 2 seed Benilde-St. Margaret’s in the Section 6 championship game at Benilde-St. Margaret’s School in St. Louis Park.

The state tournament is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. next Tuesday with the first of four quarterfinal games at Chanhassen High School. Blake, which outscored its three section playoff opponents 51-5 and is the expected No. 1 state tournament seed, would likely play at 5 p.m.

Nolan, a junior midfielder, scored all four of her goals in the first half as the top-ranked Bears (14-2) raced to a 9-2 lead. Winton, a junior forward, did most of her damage in the second half, scoring four times.

Senior midfielder Kelly Pannek scored twice for Benilde-St. Margaret’s (13-3) in the first half. The Red Knights led 1-0 on Pannek’s first goal 58 seconds in and were as close as 3-2 on her second, which came midway through the opening half.

Senior midfielder Anne Slusser scored three goals for Blake. The Red Knights held senior midfielder Lydia Sutton, the reigning state coaches’ association and Star Tribune All-Metro Player of the Year to a single goal. Benilde-St. Margaret’s sophomore midfielder Emily Schmitz shadowed Sutton, a Southern California commit, all over the field.

Blake beat Benilde-St. Margaret’s 12-5 in the regular season. The Red Knights only losses this season came against Blake and No. 2-ranked Eden Prairie.

-- Loren Nelson

Spotlight Game Coverage