By Emily Vojtech

Metro West Conference opponents, Orono and Chanhassen faced off last week on April 23, at Chanhassen High School.

Last season, Orono stood on top of the conference with an undefeated conference record for the 2025 season. Chanhassen placed 4th in the conference with a 4-3-0 conference record.

When these two opponents faced off last season, the final score was 12-5 with Orono earning the victory at their home turf.

This year, Orono would be on the road, and Chanhassen would have the home field advantage.

The Orono Spartans came out strong for their second away game of the season. The Spartans were victorious over the Chanhassen Storm once again, with a final score of 18-9.

Orono Head Coach Jane Kolar shared that their Player of the Game was #32 Layla Nick.

Nick had 9 goals on 14 shots in the game, with 8 ground balls and 6 draw controls. Layla Nick is a top player in Minnesota, and is the first player from Minnesota to commit to Boston College for women’s lacrosse.

Other top contributors for the Spartans included: Dylan Collins (5G, 4A, 9PTS, 12GB),  Alexandra Christian (1G 1A, 2PTS, 3GB), Riley Teele (1G, 1A, 2PTS, 3GB), Elyse Sween (1G, 2GB), and Gretchen Fandel Thompson (1G, 3GB).

Goaltender Gianna Parrish saw 14 shots and made 5 saves for a 35.7% save percentage.

For the Chanhassen Storm, #3 Cassy Bergstrom led the scoring with 4 goals against the Spartans. Bergstrom had a total of 6 shots on goal and 2 ground balls. She also had 1 draw control and 1 forced turnover. 

Lucy Hillgert was the second top scorer for the Storm (2G, 2GB). Others who earned points for the Storm included: Avery Hanson (1G, 1A, 1GB), Kenzie Chown (1G, 2GB), Zoe Zilinski (1G, 2A, 3PTS, 5GB). 

Goalie MJ Rondeau faced 39 shots and made 21 saves. Rondeau ended the game with a 53.8% save percentage.