GIRLS Top 20 Preview: #3 Benilde-St. Margaret’s
Reminder: our list is based off of the laxnumbers ranking list…here. Don’t hate the journalists…hate the algorithm or your shooting percentage.
We don’t think the Lady Scarlet Knights are going to like where we go on this.
What They Were
16-2-1, 81.89 Lax Number Rating against a 75.84 strength of schedule.
#1 seed in Section 5.
They beat #3 Champlin Park 9-5 in the section final.
In state, they:
Beat UR Elk River/Zimmerman 12-10
Lost to #2 Prior Lake 11-10 in OT (game of the year candidate, go watch on NSPN if you haven’t seen it)
Beat #3 Stillwater 15-13
What They Lost
(12) 2024s graduated!
Julia Evens - M: 62g/38a/100 points, 14 GB/16 FT/112 DC
Maggie Graczyk - A: 35g/44a/79 points
Maddie Kalstas - M: 36g/23a/59 points, 24 GB/25 FT/70 DC
Grace Ortizcazarin - GK: 6.61 GAA, 39.8%
(3) Starting Defenders
What They Have Coming Back
2025 Charlize Vang - A: 53g/20a/73 points
2026 Jun Vang - A: 25g/9a/34 points
2026 Katie Kroft - M: 18g/3a/21 points
What They Have Looking Forward
13 games on the schedule. Nice work Coach Bowlsby.
Metro West Featured Matchups:
#16 Chanhassen
#11 Orono
Bloomington Jefferson
Non Conference:
#10 Maple Grove
Blake
#1 Lakeville South
#13 CDH
#7 Eden Prairie
Wayzata
Our Take
This rolls right from the schedule section…we are going to know what BSM is pretty early on.
Here are the brass tacks…BSM has lost A LOT over the past 2-3 years. Just last year, half of their roster graduated. Lots of those starters all over the field and those not, were contributors.
What do they have? Charlize and Jun. Once on offense, those two are going to be mega factors. Who else? Katie Kroft looks to fill some of the Maddie Kalstas roll.
But time waits for no one, and this might be a rebuilding year for BSM. Their Section 5 opponents aren’t waiting, or feeling bad about what might not be a top 3 in the state BSM squad. It would be foolish to overlook Coach Bowlsby’s team, but Maple Grove and Champlin Park are pissed off and ready to go. BSM better be ready to go too.