Enough was enough.
Blake’s lead had dwindled to just two goals and with five minutes left in the game, Bears coach Sarah Fellows decided it was time to protect that lead.
Blake played keep away from Lakeville South for the final 4:56 of the game, holding on for a 12-10 quarterfinals victory Tuesday at Chanhassen High School.
No. 3-seeded Blake (15-2) had a five-goal lead before a rash of penalties allowed Lakeville South (12-5) to score three consecutive goals. Their lead in jeopardy, the Bears were forced to stall.
“We probably started a little sooner than we would have liked, but it was something we needed to do at that time,” Fellows said. “Stalling is a hard thing to do. Sometimes we have trouble stalling for one minute. That was probably the best we’ve ever done.”
Twice Blake opened five-goal leads – 6-1 in the first half, 12-7 in the second – only to see Lakeville South rally.
The Bears had their streak of eight consecutive state championship game appearances ended by a loss to Lakeville South in the 2015 semifinals. They weren’t about to let history repeat itself.
“They ended our state championship game run last year, so we were kind of out for blood,” said junior Emily Johnsrud, who had two goals and two assists, one of three Blake players to total four points.
Lakeville South senior Janna Haeg said the stalling tactic worked so well because the Cougars were starting to run down.
“It was frustrating because we worked so hard to get back into the game,” Haeg said. “We were getting a little tired and they did a really good job.”
