Photo Gallery: Eagan vs. Chanhassen
Usually, the Chanhassen boys’ lacrosse team would spend the day before a game preparing for its opponent and working on its offense and defense. But on Wednesday, the Storm had a different way of preparing for their season opener on Thursday.
The Storm hit the field with shovels and spent four hours getting the snow off a turf field at the high school. It was a group effort between the varsity, junior varsity and B-Squad teams.
The Storm’s effort paid off as they got the field playable for Thursday’s game. Once the game got going, it got even better. Chanhassen jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the first half and never looked back as the Storm defeated Eagan 15-8.
With Thursday serving as the season opener, there was already plenty of excitement for Chanhassen (1-0). The anticipation increased with the Storm’s first opponent being Eagan, the 2017 state champion.
“When we saw we were playing them, and knew how good they’d be, we were excited,” said Chanhassen senior midfielder Jadon Kerry. “There was an adrenaline rush. We all wanted to give it our all.”
Chanhassen turned its excitement into goals. After falling behind 1-0 early in the game, the Storm rumbled ahead as Chanhassen outscored the Wildcats 9-1 the rest of the half.
For the Storm, their top players came through. Cole Grindberg and Kerry got their senior seasons off to strong start, combining for nine scores. Grindberg, an attackman committed to the Air Force Academy, tallied four goals in the win while Kerry, a Duke commit, led all scorers with five goals and an assist.
“(Kerry) is an All-American in my book,” said Eagan coach Bob Felter. “When he had the ball, we had a tough time slowing him down.”
Grindberg and Kerry are primed to be a strong scoring combination for Chanhassen. Both had at least 36 goals last season, and they’ve blossomed while playing beside each other for the past 10 years.
“When we play together, there’s a lot of mutual respect,” Kerry said. “We know each other and what we’re capable of. We’re just trying to enjoy our senior seasons before we end up on opposite sides.”
Though Eagan (0-1) had its chances offensively, it couldn’t keep up with the Storm. The Wildcats often assisted Chanhassen by turning the ball over.
“We were just turning the ball over too much,” Felter said. “We have to regulate those mistakes. You have to be able to take their scoring flurries and respond. We didn’t do that.”
In the second half, Eagan’s offense picked up the pace but it was too little too late. Senior attackman Isaac Peifer had three goals and an assist in his first game of the season.
Outside of Peifer, the Wildcats struggled to score on the Storm defense. Senior goalie Parker Woolf was key to Chanhassen’s win as he made 14 saves. Woolf is part of a group that should provide an overall improvement on the defensive end for the Storm.
“(Woolf) is a fantastic goalie,” said Chanhassen coach Jonathon Junker. “This is the deepest D group we’ve ever had here before. We’ve really pushed the defensive side of things.”
After the game, both coaches acknowledged that each team has plenty to work on. But everyone agreed that after spending most of their time practicing inside, it was refreshing to be playing outside — even if it meant putting in a little work the day before.
“It’s rewarding that we did all that and got the win,” Kerry said. “It’s a good starting point.”