GIRLS Top 20 Preview: #2 Prior Lake
Reminder: our list is based off of the laxnumbers ranking list…here. Don’t hate the journalists…hate the algorithm or your shooting percentage.
WARNING: You’re all going to get a huge dose of some good old fashioned Team36 South Suburban bias the next two recaps. Buckle up.
What They Were
17-2, 84.55 Lax Number Rating against a 77.71 strength of schedule.
#1 seed in Section 6.
They beat #3 Edina 18-1 in section final
In state, they:
Beat UR Andover 16-4
Beat #3 BSM 11-10 in OT
Lost to #1 Lakeville South 12-8
What They Lost
(5) 2024s graduated
Sadie Chappuis - M: 40g/20a/60 points, 27 GB/14 FT/82 DC
Kayleigh Sandell - A: 35 g/22a/57 points
Piper Green - D: 32 GB/22 FT
What They Have Coming Back
2025 Abby Grove - M: 47g/16a/63 points, 28 GB/21 FT/121 DC
2025 Tali Baldzicki - A: 37g/26a/63 points
2025 Lauren Knutson - A: 22g/24a/46 points
2026 Britney Pinkowski - A: 23g/18a/41 points
2025 Addie Christianson - GK: 6.03 GAA, 43.5%
What They Have Looking Forward
13 games on the schedule.
South Suburban Conference Featured Matchups:
#1 Lakeville South
#15 Rosemount
Non Conference:
#4 Stillwater
#16 Chanhassen
#12 Edina
#10 Maple Grove
#7 Eden Prairie
#8 Minnetonka
Cool…you play 8 out of the top 16…and you are one of the top 16, so you can’t play yourself. Got it - the list is quite literally shorter of who they’re not playing from last year’s top 16, then who they are playing.
Our Take
The readers are going to love the bias here. We are expecting a lot from Prior Lake this year. Read between the lines if you need to on that one, if you can’t wait for the section previews.
Normally, if a team lost 5 college committed players, there would be concern. Not many teams in MN had a D1 commit not start for them. Thats where we are at and Prior Lake currently sports 10 college commits. So yeah…they lose big production with big accolades, but return big production with big accolades. Their losses are spread out and with a majority of returners at every position.
Attack: 3 starters returning, a starter from 2 years ago returning from injury, and a reserve returning that scored 41 points last year
Midfield: 2 starters returning and a reserve returning that was taking the draw in OT of the state semifinals. NOTE: They did lose another middie reserve returner to injury.
Defense: 3 starters returning, each of who are committed D2
Goalie: starter returning
By that argument, the least deep position is midfield, where they have (2) D1 commits, one of who is a top 3 Preseason Ms. Lacrosse watchlist type? Oooohhhh….we should make a preseason Ms. Lacrosse watchlist (like we haven’t already started that draft yet).
Abby Grove is obviously the star that all eyes are drawn to, but what has made Prior Lake so tough, for years, is that they keep coming. You’ve heard the bit before: Shut down one, and five more are open and can burry it in the net. Getting tired? Too bad, Prior Lake has more college commits (or soon to be) subbing in.
On top of that, they keep coming class after class down into the youth levels…so when they lose (8) 2025s after this year, they have (if past performance is an indicator of future success) alphas and future college commits waiting in the wings that would already be playing, and maybe starting, at 95% of the programs in MN, who we haven’t even heard of yet.
And to think, we haven’t even starting talking about the defending state champs yet…what’s that we hear in the distance?