By John Molene

Top seeded Gentry Academy/ Two Rivers got off to a fast start and never really took their collective feet off the gas in a section-clinching win over the visiting Park Wolfpack Thursday.

Playing at Two Rivers High School in Mendota Heights, Gentry (13-1) grabbed a quick 5-0 lead and went on to claim a 15-5 victory. Led by standout junior attacker Eva Anderson who scored seven goals, the Gentry Warriors dominated the action at times, harassing the Wolfpack players and often disrupting Park’s game plans.

Gentry outshot Park 21 to 9 and continually put pressure on Park with frequent double teaming the Wolfpack players. Gentry also bested Park in transitions most of the game and in the end that part proved too much for the Wolfpack to overcome.

After Gentry opened a 5-0 lead, Park senior Megan Maloney scored backto- back goals to give the Wolfpack a lift. But Gentry scored four straight goals to make it an 8-2 lead.

Gentry led 9-3 at the halftime break and the second half was more or less a repeat of the first.

Third-seeded Park ended its season as the Section 3A runner-up, finishing with a 12-4 record. Finishing in the section finals in 2022 was a continuation of a steady progression for the Wolfpack. Park lost in the section semifinals in 2021, 2019 and 2018 and in the quarterfinals in 2017 and 2016.

“I told them going into the year I didn’t know if we’d have a winning record,” said Park head coach Scott Leonard. “But I said by day four practice, our first seven-on-seven I knew this group could do something and going into that Forest Lake game we lost 11-8 and we knew we were right there. We knew we were on the edge. We lost another one a couple of games later to Cretin and once again we played great for 70 percent of the game and our youth showed up. And then last game to come back and avenge that loss – that same group was quite a ride.”

“I’m just really happy I got to play with this group of girls cause I think everyone can say that we definitely surprised people for sure,” said Maloney, who finished her standout Park lacrosse career with a hat trick. “Upset with Cretin is definitely one of my highlights. It was definitely good memories made and its sad that its ending.”

Park’s scoring leader, junior Shelby Hansen (44 goals on the season), was held in check by the Gentry Warriors and finished with just a single goal on a near coast-to-coast run and power shot to kick off the second half. Josie Leonard got Park’s only other score.

It will be the first state tournament for Gentry, a school founded in 2017 and a team playing in just its second season of girls’ lacrosse. Last season the Warriors lost in the section finals to Rosemount 13-12. This year they made it over the top.

After losing its opening game of the season to New Trier, Ill., 17-9. Gentry crushed the dozen Minnesota teams it faced this season, winning games such as 17-3 over White Bear Lake, 24-0, 20-0 over Hastings, 21-0, 21-2, 16-3 over Eastview/Eagan, 18-2, 22-2, and 26-0 over St. Paul.

Park’s 10-goal loss was only the second closest any Minnesota team has come to Gentry this season.

And while this season was a step up for Gentry, it was also one for Park.

A year ago Park was ambushed in the section semifinals, losing to Rosemount 18-2.

This year, with just two seniors on the team, attacker/ midfielder Maloney and attacker Kyleigh Mullen, head coach Scott was unsure just how good the Wolfpack would be this season.

Next season, with its three leading scorers returning in Hansen, Josie Leonard and Madi Brinkman, plus everyone else except for Maloney and Mullen, the success bar for the Wolfpack will be set higher.

“I know they’re going to do great,” said Mullen. “This year, seeing them, watching them grow from the beginning of the season to now and I can’t wait to see how they grow next year even better. So, I’m excited to come back and watch and I know they’re going to do great things. They’ll make it back here next year for sure.”

“We’ve still got a lot of people who have to work on their non-dominant hand, said coach Leonard. “Offensively we’ll be a lot better next year if we can go both ways. We have a handful of players who are skilled both directions, which makes a huge difference, especially playing a team like this. They clearly were trying to overplay our non-dominant hand and force us to go to the weak side and some of the girls just can’t do that, so we’ve got to do that.

“We’ll see where we are position-wise, a couple of defenders might become mids or attackers next year to fill in those spots,” Leonard added.

Park 11, Certain Derham-Hall 9

Madi Brinkman’s five goals helped power the Park Wolfpack to an 11-9 win in the section semifinal Tuesday, June 7, against host Cretin-Derham Hall.

Park led 7-3 at halftime, stretched it to 9-4 early in the second half, then had to hold off a late Cretin surge to earn the victory.

Megan Maloney and Josie Leonard each scored twice. Kyleigh Mullen and Shelby Hansen each put in one score.

Aubree Laska got the win in goal, stopping six of the 15 shits she faced.

Park improved to 12-3 on the season and advanced to the section finals for the first time in several seasons.

Park senior Megan Maloney looks for an opening against a Cretin-Derham Hall defender in the section semifinals. Photo by John Molene

Park freshman Madi Brinkman makes a run at the Gentry goal in the Section 3 finals June 9. Photo by John Molene

Park players, including Madi Brinkman (10), Lauren Ehrenstrom (0), Finley Leick (44), Megan Maloney (14), Morgan Leick (40) and Molly Villas (9), come off the field after a section semifinal win against Cretin Derham Hall.

Photo by John Molene