Two years ago, Forest Lake girls’ lacrosse coach Jenna Brown took over a program that had won five games the season prior and sat at the bottom of the Suburban East Conference. Fast forward to 2019 — and things look a little bit different.
On Wednesday, Brown stood on the field at Osseo High School holding back tears as she watched her players celebrate the school’s first trip to the girls’ state lacrosse tournament. The Rangers bested Champlin Park 7-6 in a quick overtime thriller to win the Section 7 championship.
With the game tied at 6 heading into overtime, Forest Lake needed just 17 seconds to clinch its first state tournament berth in school history. Sophomore midfielder Mikaela Ness’ goal gave the Rangers a 7-6 win against Champlin Park on Wednesday at Osseo High School.
Forest Lake (15-1) got its scoring from four players, including junior midfielder Bailey O’Donovan who led the way with a hat trick. She also had both of the Rangers’ second-half goals.
Junior attacker Taylor Glumack and freshman midfielder Erin Brown combined for three first-half tallies, helping set the tone early for the Rangers as they entered the break leading 4-3.
The Rebels (14-2) lost their first contest since their season opener, despite six Champlin Park players scoring in the loss. Sophomore attacker Camryn Mayer’s late second-half goal sent the game to overtime.
The low-scoring second half was thanks in part to quality goaltending on both sides. Forest Lake freshman Hannah Melander stopped nine shots, while Champlin Park’s Jackie Freeman made 12 saves.
Pairings for the state tournament will be announced on Saturday with quarterfinal play set to begin next Tuesday.
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