Like the other spring sports, the girls’ lacrosse team is in the early stages of preparing for another season. However, with the stubborn snow, they expect to be limited to indoor practices for a while.

Junior captain Sydney Funk said that tryouts are planned for the week following spring break. In their first few practices, which she predicts will take place in the gym, Funk believes the team should focus on basics such catching and throwing, in addition to general conditioning.

Head coach Kerry Blaine remarked, “I’m excited for the season to start. It is our third year as an Eagan-only program and I think we have a solid core of experienced players. I am looking forward to seeing them succeed in a very tough conference.” The conference includes both Lakeville North and Apple Valley, who have placed second and third in recent state tournaments, respectively.

Coach Blaine shared that defense has been a weakness for Eagan in the past due to a lack of experience in those positions. However, he is optimistic for the upcoming spring. “We have more experienced players now that understand what it takes to slow down the strong offensive teams in the conference. I think we have very athletic attack and midfield players that can generate a lot of scoring. Our defensive players are strong and fast and will be able to direct the opposing players away from our net.”

Coach Blaine said that he would like Eagan to finish in the upper half of the conference and proceed to section playoffs or beyond. He continued, “We also need to beat Rosemount every year. We beat them last year and won the Clover Cat traveling trophy, and we want to keep it in our trophy case where it belongs.”