The offense gets all the publicity and, averaging nearly 17 goals a game, it’s deserved.

But the untold story of Lakeville South’s 15-2 victory over Armstrong on Tuesday is one of defense and depth. And on a day when temperatures on the Hopkins High School field flirted with triple digits, the Cougars’ versatility was a difference-maker.

“That was the hottest game we’ve had all year, but we were ready for it,” senior forward Maddy Canney said. “We heard last week that it might be hot, so we started preparing then.”

One year ago, Lakeville South’s first state tournament appearance was a disappointing one, losing to Stillwater by one goal in the first round. The Cougars went on to defeat Tuesday’s opponent, Armstrong, in the consolation final, but that first-round loss still stung.

“It was definitely in the back of our minds,” said forward Logan Halvorson, the Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year. “And we were playing a team we’ve played last year. We wanted to show we’re a much better team than last year.”

Canney scored five goals, Halvorson four and Chloe Crosby three for Lakeville South.

“We’re all there for each other,” Canney said. “We don’t have just one or two players. Logan and I score 50 percent of the goals, but we have other girls who can score 20, 30 goals, too. It helps us to get open and when we’re not, we trust that the other girls will step up.”

The Cougars started methodically, building a 3-0 lead through the first 18 minutes of the game before their vaunted offense took off. They scored six goals in the final seven minutes of the first half to remove any doubt about the outcome.

After scoring the first three goals of the second half, the final 20 minutes of the game were played under running time.

Armstrong ended the shutout bid with two goals in the final 12 minutes, but the Falcons became the seventh team this season to tally less than three goals against the Cougars’ defense.

“It all starts with defense,” Halvorson said. “We have skilled players at every position. When we got tired [Tuesday], the defense could just run the ball up and give the midfielders a break. It’s  great to know they step up whenever we need them.”

Lakeville South unleashed its relentless offense Tuesday, routing Armstrong 15-2 in a quarterfinal game at sweltering Hopkins Stadium.

Maddy Canney scored five goals, Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year Logan Halvorson scored four and Chloe Crosby added there for the Cougars, who improved to 17-0 on the season.

Lakeville South averages nearly 17 goals per game, but failed to reach that total due to frequent substitutions and running time in the second half.

Armstrong (10-7) ended Lakeville South’s shutout bid with goals by Claire O’Donnell and Hayley Holdahl midway through the second half.