Champion South Lyon United lacrosse ends regular season undefeated

United carried only a 3-2 lead into the second period before personal fouls allowed Lake Orion to trim the deficit in the fourth. The Dragons scored four straight goals to open the final period and make it 14-8 before United answered with three goals in a two-minute stretch from Madison Lukas, Emily Brennan and Shaelyn Perry.

“I tell them all the time that it’s OK to take some hits, take some shots,” Radcliffe said. “You’ve just got to stay composed, and we don’t usually get cards. The games we do get cards are when we are not as composed as we should be, and there’s been maybe two games where we’ve gotten cards this season, and those are the two most tested games we’ve had.”

South Lyon United's Shaelyn Perry scores on a penalty shot during a girls lacrosse game on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at Lake Orion High School.

Obviously, Brighton, which United battled twice during last year’s state title run, was the other game Radcliffe was referring to.

But as United has done against the Bulldogs three times during its current winning streak, it sorted itself out against the Dragons to prove it’s still the top team in Michigan.

Reagan Shields led with seven goals, including five in the first half. Perry added five goals while Lukas, Brennan, Gianna Lucchesi, Cate Cumberland and Lily Trzaskos scored one apiece.

South Lyon United's Gianna Lucchesi passes in traffic during a girls lacrosse game on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at Lake Orion High School.

“Yeah, we get everyone’s best effort,” Radcliffe added. “But like I told them from the beginning, especially this season after you win a state championship, that you’re going to get everybody’s best effort. No one is going to come in slacking on you. You have to always be on. There are going to be moments when you’re not going to be on because you’re human.”

Expect United to keep looking more superhuman than human going forward.

It entered the final week of the regular season with an average goal differential of 9.31, more than double every team in LaxNumbers.com’s Division 1 rankings except eighth-ranked Haslett.

United should have more big wins than close calls in the postseason, especially early on. It likely won’t face another major test until a likely regional championship rematch with Brighton on May 30.

South Lyon United's Reagan Shields looks to pass during a girls lacrosse game on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at Lake Orion High School.

How the team handles itself from that game through the state championship on June 5 should determine whether it hoists a second straight wooden mitten. For now, it’ll take the close call against Lake Orion as another chance to learn and improve.

“Our goal has always been to get a little bit better each day and learn from our mistakes and learn from the closer games and moments,” Radcliffe said. “Even during the interesting moments we had in this game, we just want to learn from it and be ready for the next challenge.”

Brandon Folsom covers high school sports in metro Detroit for Hometown Life. Follow him on his new X.com account at @folsomwrites.

This article originally appeared on Hometownlife.com: South Lyon United girls lacrosse beats Lake Orion, 17-10