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Eden Prairie girls end the regular season with victory over rival Blake

By Trevor Squire, SportsEngine, 05/25/17, 6:30AM CDT

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Naomi Rogge scored seven goals as the Eagles pulled away late to extend the Bears' skid to two games.


Eden Prairie's Naomi Rogge, left, scored seven goals in the Eagles' 19-13 victory over Blake, but she showed she could play defense, too, against the Bears' Spencer Krelitz. Photo by Mark Hvidsten, SportsEngine

Eden Prairie, the top-ranked team in the state coaches’ poll, looked like its typical self in a 19-13 victory over rival Blake at home on Thursday night.
 
Speed, decisive passing and relentless pressure on net; all traits the Eagles have shown while wielding the state’s most potent offense -- 234 goals in 13 games this season.

Eden Prairie looks like the team to beat again this postseason, but the back-to-back defending state champion may have to continue winning it without one key player.  

Eagles co-head coach Beth Patterson was not on the sideline Thursday due to sciatic nerve issues which have hampered her ability to coach. She's watched the past three games from the bleachers.
 
Judy Baxter, the other half of Eden Prairie’s coaching tandem said Patterson is taking the recovery day by day.

“Today she feels a lot better than she felt yesterday," Baxter said. "We’re hopeful. We’d rather have her stay away now and have her back later.”
 
Baxter is the tactician of the Eagles’ coaching staff, while Patterson provides emotional support.
 
Naomi Rogge said Patterson is the best-friend kind of coach.

“She’s the one who’s always there emotionally and supporting us," the senior said. "At practice, we have midfield time with McBeth, and it’s sad not seeing her everyday.”
 
Despite missing Patterson’s support, Eden Prairie (12-1, 8-0) has thrived, including in its regular season finale against perennial contender and No. 4-ranked Blake (9-4, 2-0).
 
The programs are the only two to win state championships in girls’ lacrosse since the Minnesota State High School League began sponsoring the state tournament in 2007, making Thursday’s annual regular-season meeting a monumental primer for the post season. 
 
Blake coach Sarah Fellows said her team played aggressive and stuck its our style and game plan.

"No trouble putting it in the back of the net, so I’m excited to see them again," she added.
 
Against the Bears, Rogge finished with the team-high seven goals and finishes the regular season tied with Bloomington Jefferson's Rachel Graff as the state top scorer with 69 goals apiece.

Rogge acknowledges her days are numbered with graduation looming just two weeks away, but she remains focused on state.
 
“Going for our third [title] is something that’s incredible, and I hope we can end it with the cherry on top of the cake for my last run in the Eagles’ uniform,” she said.

With the regular-season slate in the books, both programs are turning their attention to the postseason, and Baxter and Fellows acknowledge that June brings about a new season and a new urgency.

“It’s not fun to lose, but this game didn’t matter. Starting now, [losing] does,” Fellows said. “You lose, you’re out. So being able to play with that intensity and that, in the back of our minds, that any second could be our last on the field.”


Naomi Rogge, right, looks for an way around Blake goalie Lucia Warner late in the game. She scored her seventh goal and gave the Eagles a 17-11 lead. Photo by Mark Hvidsten, SportsEngine

First Report

Naomi Rogge scored seven goals to carry the Eagles to a 19-13 win over Blake in their regular-season finale Thursday night at Eden Prairie High School.

The Eagles (12-1, 8-0), the top-ranked team in the coaches’ poll, completed an unbeaten regular season against in-state competition following the win.

Blake took an early 3-1 lead off goals by Georgia Nolan, Sophia Skallerud and Sara McClanahan, but Eden Prairie battled back and took the lead for good as sophomore Brooke Lewis netted a goals at the 12-minute mark of the first half to put the Eagles ahead 5-4.

Lewis assisted on a Rogge goal three minutes later and Eden Prairie started to distance itself from the No. 4 Bears (9-4, 2-0). Lewis finished the game with six points on four goals and two assists. 

Skallerud posted a team-high five goals for Blake, while McClanahan notched three goals and two assists.

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