The word “work,” written in red capitals letters on the inside of Eden Prairie forward Jessica Lagerquist’s left wrist, helped propel the Eagles’ lacrosse state tournament semifinal victory.

Lagerquist scored her team’s final three goals as Eden Prairie won 13-6 against previously undefeated Apple Valley on Thursday at Chaska High School.

“I needed to work hard to get to that state championship dream,” Lagerquist said.

The Eagles, upset in the semifinals last year, advance to face four-time defending state champion Blake. The game starts at 5 p.m. on Saturday at Chanhassen High School. Blake and Eden Prairie will meet for the seventh time in eight years of championship games.

No. 2 seed Eden Prairie started fast, getting out to a 5-0 lead. Then Eagles co-head coach Judy Baxter opted to minimize risk by maximizing possession time. The Eden Prairie attack exited the highway for the sidewalk.

“If you have the ball, they don’t,” Baxter said. “We came to win. We’re not coming to please fans or parents.”

Eden Prairie (16-2) neutralized Apple Valley senior midfielder Katie Larson, the state’s scoring leader the past two years. Freshman defender Hannah Brink drew the assignment, face guarding Larson and helping hold her to a lone goal.

“We did keep her out of the mix as best we could,” Baxter said. “I don’t know that they’ve seen that a lot.”

Apple Valley (17-1) players and coaches took pride all season in their ability to battle back. True to form, the third-seeded Eagles scored three of the last four goals in the first half, cutting Eden Prairie’s lead to 8-4 at halftime.

Eden Prairie played keep-away to start the second half, bleeding almost five minutes off the clock before Lagerquist scored the second of her five goals.

“We knew they are a second half team,” Lagerquist said. “They always come back stronger after the half. So we knew we had to keep working our hardest.”

First report

Eden Prairie parlayed a fast start into a 13-6 victory against previously undefeated Apple Valley in Thursday’s girls’ lacrosse state tournament semifinal at Chaska High School.

Eden Prairie, which got out to a 5-0 lead, advances to Saturday’s championship game at 5 p.m. at Chanhassen High School.

Check back later for more on the game.