Batman, Ironman and Superman were in the stands to watch Prior Lake take on Eastview.
Halloween is weeks away but several Lakers’ parents came to the game dressed in costumes, hoping to see their team turn in a super performance against the Lightning, a South Suburban Conference foe and the second-ranked team in the Minnesota High School Soccer Coaching Association’s Class 2A poll.
Prior Lake did not disappoint its fans as the Lakers ended a four-game winless streak with a 2-1 victory over Eastview in the regular-season finale Thursday at Prior Lake High School.
"I think they know that the last few games have been tough for us," Lakers’ senior captain Jade Weller said. "It was really cool to see them wear (the costumes) and it really loosened us up a lot."
Prior Lake (11-4-1, 5-3-1) needed some loosening. The team was playing tight after failing to find a victory the last two weeks and sliding down from the top spot to No. 7 in the rankings.
"We had to figure some things out," Weller said. "We didn't even really practice yesterday. We just went over some things, watched video."
The Lakers discovered they needed to get back to playing the aggressive style that helped them win 10 of their first 11 games this season and they followed the formula against Eastview (12-2-2, 6-2-1).
The Lightning fouled Kaija Ornes in the box, resulting in a penalty kick that the senior forward buried in the left corner of the goal with a powerful shot off her right foot to give the Lakers a 1-0 lead 24 minutes into the game.
"I play club soccer with a lot of those players, so I need to change things up because they knew my shots,” Ornes said. "They have been getting harder because of that, but I was just happy to get it in there so quick."
Prior Lake extended its lead early in the second half thanks to its defense. Lakers senior goalkeeper Jenna Stock made a diving save to end an Eastview scoring chance and Prior Lake capitalized in transition as senior midfielder Emily Peterson scored with 33:16 remaining in the game to give the Lakers a 2-0 lead.
"That save was fantastic," Lakers' head coach David Graham said. "We don't ask (Stock) to come up with much, but she will do that every now and then and we really needed that one."
The Lightning closed the gap to 2-1 when junior defender Christina Barry scored with 22:43 remaining in the game.
Prior Lake then survived a small flurry by Eastview to end the regular season with more than a victory. The Lakers enter Section 2AA play with some confidence.
"We needed this, not really to win, but to play well," Graham said.
