Lakeville South senior forward Morgan Morse had not committed to any college yet. Her hat trick in Thursday’s 3-1 quarterfinal victory against Blaine might force coaches to look again.

Morse struck for goals twice in a span of 1 minute, 7 seconds in the first period. She completed her hat trick in the second period, giving her team all the offense it needed.

“Morgan is one of the most underrated players in the state,” Lakeville South coach Natalie Darwitz said. “She showcased her talent and skill tonight.”

Lauded by opposing coaches as a competitor, Morse does her best work in the offensive zone. She leads No. 4 seed Lakeville South (24-4-1) with 31 goals this season.

Blaine sophomore defenseman Emily Brown, who has verbally committed to the Gophers, played with Morse in the offseason and knew about her good hands. The fifth-seeded Bengals (20-8-1) found out just how good.

The third goal Morse scored brought out the fan in Darwitz, a former college All-America player and Olympian.

“She split the ‘D,’ comes down the middle and makes a phenomenal move on the goaltender,” Darwitz said.

Morse sent the Cougars to the state tournament with a game-winning goal last week in a section final against Lakeville North.

“Getting that goal to finish it off just kind of lit a match and kept me rolling,” Morse said.

Morgan Morse’s penchant for big goals followed her from Owatonna to St. Paul.

Morse tallied a hat trick on Thursday at the Xcel Energy Center, fueling Lakeville South’s 3-1 victory against Blaine. She sent the Cougars to the state tournament with a game-winning goal in last week’s section finals against rival Lakeville North at the Four Seasons Centre.

On her first goal, Morse pushed a puck off her backhand past sprawling Blaine senior goaltender Makayla Tilton at 5:39 of the first period.

Morse, a senior forward, struck again one minute, seven seconds later. Known for working hard and winning battles, Morse gathered a rebound of her shot on goal without breaking stride and put it home.

A handful of Cougars’ fans tossed their lids onto the ice after Morse completed the hat trick at 4:41 of the second period.

Lauded by opposing coaches as a competitor all over the ice, Morse does her best work in the offensive zone. She leads No. 4 seed Lakeville South (23-4-1) with 31 goals this season.

Ashley Osbeck of No. 5 seed Blaine (20-7-1) rivaled Morse for most outstanding individual effort. Twisting and falling as she approached the Lakeville South goal, Osbeck, a junior defenseman, swept the puck home with her backhand. She cut the Cougars’ lead to 3-1 with less than two minutes to play in the second period.