It might be difficult for outsiders to find the differences between the six consecutive state title winners the Arrowhead Red girls lacrosse team has produced. But not for coach Tom Truttschel, who has seen all sorts of formulas lead to winning seasons during his time at the helm of the most decorated program in the state.
The answer was easy: this squad will do anything for each other.
“When we sat down in the locker room before the state championship game today, the conversation among the team was, ‘This team is tight,” said Truttschel, who earned his eighth state title as coach and the program’s ninth overall. “We try to have that kind of unity every year. When it comes to battles for this team, they’ll do anything for each other.”
On Friday night, it certainly took a team effort to overcome University School of Milwaukee, 11-8, since the young Wildcats were determined to give the Warhawks everything they could handle.
USM jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 13th minute of the first half with goals by middies junior Audrey Engman and freshman Molly Janssen. Janssen scored another goal with 2:20 left in the half to put the Wildcats up 3-2. She finished with four in the game.
Arrowhead Red took a 4-3 into halftime by scoring two goals in the final 25.3 seconds of the first half. Senior attack Coryn Tormala put away a goal to tie the game at 3 before assisting on senior attack Ellie Bonk’s follow-up goal just 9 seconds later.
Tormala, the Classic 8 Player of the Year, finished the game with three goals and three assists to lead all scorers with nine points.
“Her eyes are quick to react and make the next pass, so she knows when to get the feed into her teammates and takes right shots usually,” Truttschel said. “She’s a star, and she’s the player of the for a reason.”
Arrowhead Red kept the momentum going well into the second half, completing a five-goal run with another Tormala goal at 21:06 in the period to take a 7-3 lead. A combination of stellar defense and an improved performance at the draw kept USM on its heels for a good portion of the second half.
“Initially, we came out and they matched our momentum and we were all very nervous because they are a very good team and we knew that,” Tormala said. “Then during the second half we just capitalized on their mistakes, kept it on offense, spun the ball around and ultimately got some goals.”
The Warhawks led by as many as five goals with 5:55 left to play when sophomore attack Sydney Schultz scored off an assist from sophomore attack Kylee Manser. USM freshman attack Grace Tuttle scored twice within the final 54 seconds of the game, but it would not be enough for the Wildcats.
“I think by the time we turned it on, it was too little, too late,” USM coach Sam Adey said. “But our biggest threats on offense are sophomores and freshmen, who now have a year of experience under their belt.”
If Arrowhead Red is any indication that experience goes a long way — on and off the field. Senior defender Emma Hofman knows the future of the program remains in good hands once she and her classmates move on.
“For me, this is the best [title run] for me because this is my last year,” Hofman said. “But each and every year, I come back to this group of girls who gets to play for these amazing coaches and with each other. It just gets better every year.”
