LAKEWOOD — Lightning struck twice for Dakota Ridge’s girls soccer team Tuesday night at Lakewood Memorial Field.
The No. 3-seeded Eagles defeated Class 4A Jeffco League rival No. 7 Evergreen for the second time in 13 days with a 4-2 victory in a 4A state quarterfinal game.
“It’s rare during the season that you get to play a team again,” Dakota Ridge coach John Cassidy said. “Last time we played them it was Senior Night and everything. It was like we got to retake the exam.”
Evergreen (12-6 record) actually held a 2-0 lead over the 4A Jeffco League champions back on May 4 at Lakewood Memorial Field. However, Dakota Ridge (16-1) rallied for a 3-2 victory to stay undefeated in conference play.
The Eagles struck first the second time around. Senior Hannah Arnold opened the scoring with a goal in the 6th minute. Her 13th goal came off a long pass where she was able to tip the ball past Evergreen goalie Anya Vance.
“Usually when we are in that situation you want to get up first to get that momentum,” Dakota Ridge senior Bailey Pignatore said. “To get up first this time gave us confidence.”
Evergreen answered in the 19th minute with senior Sam Johnson getting a foot on a ball that went through the Eagles’ goal crease. Johnson one-timed a shot past Dakota Ridge goalie Kassidy Spencer to tie the game at 1-1.
The Eagles responded with back-to-back goals a minute apart to take a 3-1 lead going into halftime. Sophomore Ava Arnold deked past a few Evergreen defenders before taking a shot. In the 25th minute, Pignatore capitalized on another long pass from the Eagles’ midfield to score her 15th goal of the season.
“It’s hard when you play a conference team twice. You know each other inside and out,” Cassidy said of the high scoring first half. “I thought (Evergreen’s) strategy was great. I just have the bench to counter what anybody does. Hopefully that is enough to get us the result and so far it is.”
Pignatore started the second half with another goal in the 45th minute to make it a 4-1 lead for the Eagles.
“It let us calm down a little bit,” Pignatore said of her second goal in the first 5 minutes of the second half to stretch the Eagles’ lead to three goals. “We knew even if we made a mistake and they got a goal it wasn’t the end of the world.”
Evergreen didn’t pack it in despite being down three goals in the second half. Freshman Gianna Weiner rifled in a long shot into the back of the net in the 55th minute to make it a 2-goal game, but it would be the final score of the game.
Nearly a 2-hour lightning delay suspended the game with 7:37 left in regulation time. Dakota Ridge players spent time playing hacky sack in their locker room before the game started back up at 8:15 p.m.
Dakota Ridge held Evergreen in check. Spencer had to make one big save in the final minutes to preserve the 2-goal victory and move the Eagles into the 4A state semifinals where they will face No. 6 Northfield at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 18, at Trailblazer Stadium.
The Nighthawks — defeating 4A state champions — defeated No. 14 Golden 2-1 in double-overtime in a game that didn’t end until 11 p.m. Tuesday night.
“I’m very excited. Especially waiting four years to play,” Pignatore said with COVID canceling the season her freshman year and then knee injuries preventing her playing the last two seasons. “The first time I can play and making it to the state semifinals is super exciting.”