Stillwater players huddle before their boys lacrosse state semifinal against East Ridge. (Jake Epstein/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Stillwater senior attackman Grant Giese geared up for Thursday’s semifinal against No. 6 seed East Ridge with considerable calmness.

Giese didn’t get too high or too low, even when he buried a flying backhanded finish in the first quarter. He’d played at this stage before, falling one stop short of the state title game in 2022 and 2024. But Giese said his team was built for this moment.

“This team’s different,” Giese said. “Everyone knows what they’re doing. We just came out not jittery at all. We just played our game.”

Behind Giese’s game-high six goals, No. 2 seed Stillwater secured its first state championship berth with a 12-6 victory and will play Edina for the title Saturday. The Ponies scored five unanswered goals in the fourth quarter to cruise into unprecedented territory.

For more on the boys lacrosse state semifinals, click here to read this story on startribune.com.