Samuel Mathieu is listed as a sophomore, but in Minnesota lacrosse years he might just as well be Methuselah.

Which is to say, relatively speaking, the Stillwater scoring star has been at this for a while.

Mathieu began playing in the third grade, which might sound like a late start in a hockey-mad state known for its toddlers learning to skate before they can walk. But considering lacrosse in Minnesota also is in its infancy, Mathieu’s seven-year involvement in the sport makes him one of the game’s elder statesmen.

“I was the first player to start in the third grade and go all the way up to the varsity,” Mathieu said after scoring a hat trick in the Ponies’ thrilling 8-7 triumph over previously unbeaten Woodbury on Monday, May 17.

While some of his childhood chums eventually picked baseball over lacrosse, Mathieu said he had no intention of abandoning the sport.

Now look at him.

Mathieu ranks ranks second in the state in scoring with 67 points, one behind Benilde-St. Margaret’s senior Bailey Dodds. More importantly, Mathieu just helped his team win its first Suburban East Conference title by knocking off the No. 6-ranked Royals.

“It feels good,” Mathieu said about the Ponies’ title. “It feels really good.”

Mathieu needed every bit of his experience, and a little luck, to score one of his goals.

After being leveled by a check in the crease area, Mathieu was headed face first to the turf when he managed to fire a shot that snuck past Woodbury goaltender Connor King.

“One ref is signaling that it’s a goal and the other one is kind of shaking his head and I’m like, ‘Oh boy,’ ” Stillwater goaltender Turner Uppgren said about his view of Mathieu’s goal. “He’s crazy like that, he’s got that nice, low inside dip and dunk. That’s his trademark move right there. He pulls it off every time.”

More conventional was Mathieu’s third goal, the one that put No. 9-ranked Stillwater (11-1) ahead 8-4 with 8:53 remaining. He scooped a loose ball in front of the Woodbury goal and, after a series of spins and fakes, unloaded a rising shot that eluded King.

“He’s got wheels,” Woodbury coach Rich Limpert said. “He really protects his stick well. And he can pass it to any point on the field from anywhere. He’s going to be a tough one; we’re going to have to watch him for a while.”

The same could be said for Uppgren, an eighth-grader who was a study of composure. Uppgren made a handful of saves that had Ponies fans ooohing and aaahing in approval and Woodbury players shaking their heads in frustration.

“He played amazing,” Stillwater coach Travis Sanders said. “The way he’s come on this year, it’s been absolutely incredible.”

Uppgren was under siege for most of the final eight minutes as Woodbury (9-1) battled furiously to get back in the game. Consecutive goals by Royals’ leading scorer Mike Koprucki accomplished that task. He added a third straight goal, and his fourth of the game, just as the final horn sounded.

“It’s a great tune-up for what we have coming in the playoffs,” said Limpert, who lost several players, including senior attackman Nate Dopkins, for extended periods because of injuries. “They are just a big, strong, fast team.”

They are also champions, which has a nice ring to it if you ask Uppgren.

“This is our first lacrosse trophy and it’s going to come up on this wall,” he said, pointing down a plaque- and trophy-lined corridor inside Stillwater High School that leads to the school’s weight room and boys locker room. “It’s going to be sick.”

Beating the buzzer
With Stilwater leading 8-6 and the clock winding down to zero, Woodbury's Mike Koprucki took one final shot from long range. The ball entered the goal just as the final horn sounded, and there was some confusion as to whether it would count. Koprucki, who will play at Minnesota State-Mankato next season, officially was credited with the goal, his fourth of the game and 40th of the season.

As easy as one-two
Partially responsible for Stillwater sophomore Samuel Mathieu's game-breaking performance was Ponies high-scoring senior Alex Flock. An attackman who has 35 goals and 23 assists this season, Flock was held off the scoresheet against Woodbury but still figured heavily into the final outcome with his passing skills and ability to draw defenders, thus creating openings for his teammates. "He might not have showed up on the scoreboard, but he was certainly there in the game," Woodbury coach Rich Limpert said.

1. Samuel Mathieu, Stillwater
Sophomore (pictured below) who ranks second in the state in scoring notched all three of goals in the second half, proving he can rack up points (he now has 67) under pressure against quality opposition. The last of his goals gave the Ponies what appeared to be a comfortable 8-4 lead and proved to be the game winner.

2. Turner Uppgren, Stillwater
Playing in the biggest game of his life, the eighth-grader was a picture of calm in goal. He made numerous spectacular stops, including one save that required he reach behind his body with his stick just as the ball was about to roll across the goal line.

3. Mike Koprucki, Woodbury
Senior attackman proved why he's one of the state's leading scorers, showcasing a lethal shot that allowed him to score three times in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter as the Royals rallied from a four-goal deficit. Koprucki finished with four goals, giving him 40 this season.