After finishing third at the state tournament last season, Blake began this year with a fresh start under interim head coach Sarah Fellows.
Although little has changed since Fellows, a Bears assistant coach who is filling in as head coach Linda Hokr took a leave of absence after giving birth to a son early this year, took over.
Blake was again one of the top teams in the state, finishing with a 11-2 regular season record and earning another No. 1 seed for the postseason tournament, where it cruised into Wednesday's championship game after outscoring their opponents 36-4.
But to make sure her team didn't become complacent as it battled Benilde-St. Margaret's for it's 10 straight state bid, Fellows, who played at Ohio State, gave Bears co-captains Annie Lyman and Lucy Burton a message her college team used for occasional high-stakes games.
“It goes: 'I’m only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, I ought to do, and what I ought to do by the grace of God, I shall do,” Fellows said, repeating the quote.
The mantra energized the Bears who took a six-goal lead at halftime and rolled to a 16-10 victory over the Red Knights in the Section 5 title game at Robbinsdale Armstrong High School.
Ranked second in the coaches’ poll, Blake (14-1) has continued a decade of dominance by earning a state tournament berth every year since the Minnesota State High School League sanctioned the sport in 2007.
Lyman, a three-year all-state selection and three-time state champion, is one of five seniors who are looking to leave a new legacy for the Bears after their five-year reign as state champions ended last season.
“We’re all the more motivated after last year and to come back and show them what we’re made of,” Lyman said.
The midfielder has enjoyed Fellow's maxim since it was introduced in the Bears’ regular-season finale against Eden Prairie - a game Blake lost 16-14 - because it emphasizes teamwork and selflessness.
“It brings us together and gets us fired up as a team,” Lyman said.
With young players like junior Emma Burke and sophomore Shannon Ellis, who each tallied five points Wednesday in the Bears' fourth straight section championship over the Red Knights (9-8), Blake’s youth movement has also asserted its supremacy against top-tier competition.
“I love including the younger players and knowing that when I leave, our team is still going to be great,” Lyman said. “When someone comes from the bench, the level of play really doesn’t change.”
The Bears are two games away from competing for a state title, and they will be taking their newfound traditions to an old stage in hopes of rejuvenating an already storied dynasty.
“(Last season) was tough for the girls, being used to making it to (the state championship) every year,” Fellows said. “This team is a unit who’s super supportive of each other and that’s what’s getting us so far.”
First Report
Sophomore Shannon Ellis led Blake with five goals while Emma Burke tallied five points in the Bears’ 16-10 victory over Benilde-St. Margaret’s in the Section 5 championship Wednesday evening at Robbinsdale Armstrong High School.
Ranked second in the coaches’ poll, Blake (14-1) advances to its 10th consecutive state tournament after rolling through the playoffs, where it outscored the competition 52-14.
Burke and senior Annie Lyman played a hand in five of Blake’s goals in the opening half, helping the Bears run out to an 8-2 lead.
Senior Anna Bergsland netted five second-half goals to help Benilde-St. Margaret's (9-8) trim the deficit to five, but the Blake offense made a late surge to seal the victory.
Ellis aided the rally by netting her final goal of the game with under three minutes left in regulation.
Bears goaltender Robyn Lipschultz made nine saves while Anna DeGiuilo made six stops for the Red Knights.
