Eagan boys’ soccer coach Alan Merrick isn’t afraid to experiment. His players also have learned to adapt to his ever-changing lineup.

“We have been a trial of positional chemistries,” Merrick said. “Getting players into their most productive positions can only be done with experiments.”

He appears to have made all the right moves in his second season at the helm of the Wildcats. They won the South Suburban Conference title by shutting out defending Class 2A champion Eastview 3-0 in their regular-season finale.

“All in all, we are well-balanced and appear to be getting more and more comfortable playing with each other,” Merrick said. “More players are coming to terms and understanding their respective roles.”

They also have a good mixture of veterans and youth. In the victory over the fifth-ranked Lightning, all three goals were scored by sophomores — Josue Boutouli, Chad Miller and Jorge Silva.

Senior Ryan Mott and junior Abdi Ali lead the Wildcats (11-1-3) with eight goals apiece. Senior Ed Olson has nine assists.

Senior Brady Martin has seen the most time in goal. The ninth-ranked Wildcats have outscored their opponents 39-18.

“The pressure is on to prolong the intensity and the enjoyment that winning brings,” said Merrick, whose squad earned the No. 1 seed in the Section 3 tournament. “We have experienced it in the regular season; now performance is needed in the second part of the season.”

Close calls

The Belle Plaine girls’ tennis team won its first Minnesota River Conference championship since 2006 when it defeated Jordan and Le Sueur-Henderson 4-3 in back-to-back matches. The Tigers won five of their conference matches 4-3. It was their first conference crown since winning titles in 2005 and 2006.

Top performances

• Sophomore forward Lauren Lafavre scored with three seconds remaining in overtime to give the Burnsville girls’ soccer team a 2-1 victory over Lakeville South and the outright South Suburban Conference championship. Two days earlier, Lafavre had a goal in a 2-2 tie with Eagan.

• Rosemount senior Hannah Grim was the medalist in the Ev Berg Invitational girls’ cross-country meet at Brooktree Golf Course in Owatonna. Grim covered the four-kilometer course in 14 minutes, 57.1 seconds. Eleven teams competed in the meet.