Senior forward Aleah Fjelstad scored a game-high five goals to lead Prior Lake to a 13-5 win over Apple Valley in the Section 6 finals on Thursday night at the Academy of Holy Angels’ StarDome.
Lauren Priest and Ashley Norberg each scored twice for the top-seeded Lakers (15-1), with Jordan Anderson, Ally Barian, Alexa Bloedow and Lauren Wick scoring one goal apiece in this battle between South Suburban Conference rivals and top-5 ranked teams.
Prior Lake finished the season ranked No. 3 in the final state coaches’ poll while Apple Valley was No. 5.
Lakers coach Ali Minelli-Fenstermacher said a change in faceoff strategy played a pivotal role in the game’s outcome.
“Once we figured out a different way to strategize off the draw, I think we had the momentum from there on out,” she said.
Prior Lake scored nine goals in the second half, including stretches of five and four unanswered.
“Our attack started settling things down, taking more control,” Minelli-Fenstermacher said. “(It) gave our defense more of a break.”
Katie Moynihan and Reagan Roelofs each had two goals while Emma Vogelgesang had one for second-seeded Apple Valley (14-2).
Eagles coach Alexandra Ross said her team knew it couldn’t afford to give Prior Lake a cushion if it expected to win.
“We knew if we went down, it would be a tough hill to climb back up,” Ross said.
