Girls Lacrosse Riding Wave of Momentum to Section Title Game

Losing 14 senior players in one offseason isn't the sort of thing most coaches enjoy. So when the girls lacrosse team kicked off its 2012 campaign with only two returning senior players, Coach Chelsea Duke said she tried to keep expectations relatively low.

Much to her delight—and perhaps surprise—the young girls lacrosse squad has far exceeded any expectations people might have had for a team with more senior managers than players.

"We did not think this was how we were going to do this year," Duke admitted. "One of our biggest challenges in fielding a new team was just not knowing what to expect. This is a young team, but I've watched over the course of the season as they've shown astonishing growth."

The Hornets—who will face Blake Thursday evening in the Section 5 championship game—turned in absolutely dominant performances throughout the 2012 season, en route to a 10-3 overall record. Considering two of those losses came against an undefeated Eden Prairie team, the record is spectacular for the young team.

In particular, they appear to have shifted into overdrive as the sectional tournament kicked off. Take a look at their last three sectional tournament box scores—22-3, 20-9 and 17-11—and it becomes apparent what an offensive powerhouse Edina has this season. When you're averaging right around 20 points per game, it's hard to lose.

Duke said those high scores aren't in any way by design, as the team tries to be "as sportsmanlike as possible."

"We have a different goal every time we go out there on the field and lately we've been working on our attack and offense," she said. "We've had a strong defense all season, but we really wanted to be stronger in front of the goal."

Junior Reid Hirschey is one of the reasons the Edina defense has been so strong this season, according to Duke.

"She's one of the unsung heroes," Duke said. "Reid has been the commander of the ship on defense, kind of taking leadership as far as what our team needs to be doing and directing players. We've been so proud of her."

Offensively speaking, Duke said Madeline Rodriguez and Sheila Hirsch have really stepped up to the plate this year.

"Madeline has a great field sense and is constantly giving 150 percent effort, while Sheila shows a lot of leadership on the field," Duke said. "Sheila is aggressive and tenacious, but she's not a selfish player at all."

The Hornets will face a tough challenge when they take on No. 2-ranked Blake at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 31, at . Blake was one of only two teams to hand the Hornets a loss this season, Duke said she thinks the team is up to the challenge.

"As far as a game plan goes, we'll just keep going and doing what we've been doing," she said. "As a coach, I couldn't be prouder of my team. We'll just come out and play the best game possible."

This is actually the fourth consecutive season the Hornets have faced Blake for the section title. For Duke, who played in the state tournament when Edina's club team made it back in the early 2000's, a state title would be a dream come true.

"We obviously really want it," she said. "We're taking things one step at a time, so we'll have to see what happens."

Follow Edina Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter