Dick’s Sporting Goods Park was hammered by hail on Wednesday afternoon. (Courtesy Paul Evans)
AURORA — An afternoon hailstorm delayed the Class 4A girls soccer championship game on Wednesday, and postponed the 5A game to Thursday.
The storm dumped about 4 inches of hail and rain on Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, the site of the 4A and 5A title matches in Commerce City. The storm knocked power out to the Park, which stalled field-clearing work — much of which is done by a suction system.
As a result, the 4A game is now scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, with the 5A tilt moved to 5 p.m. Thursday. The 5A game will still be at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
The girls lacrosse championship remains scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the University of Denver. No change has been made for that game.
Further updates, if there are any, will be announced on CHSAANow.com, as well as CHSAA’s social media accounts.
The Bruins overcame a slow start and scored eight second half goals as they beat the Centaurus Warriors 12-11 Saturday afternoon.
The Bruins were also hoping avenge an early-season loss to the Warriors back on March 20. The Warriors were able to contain the Cherry Creek offense and hold them to just six goals that day. The start of the game looked to play out the same way as the defense limited the chances for the Bruins while the Warriors’ offense was clicking on all cylinders.
Their first possession of the game lasted over two minutes, and although they couldn’t find the net, they had several opportunities to get on the scoreboard. After nearly eight minutes of scoreless play, Andrea Kim finally got the Warriors on the board as she took advantage of a clear shooting lane.
Just over two minutes later, Katherine Burns once again found the net for Centaurus, putting the Warriors up 2-0. They continued to build on the lead with a breakaway goal almost three minutes later by Hayley Drapkin. In the blink of an eye, Centaurus had a three-goal lead and Cherry Creek found themselves shell-shocked.
“We came out a little flat and we knew it,” Bruins coach Brianne Tierney said. “They have a very poised and controlled attack and we sort of knew that what happen; that they would try to wear us down.”
Senior Colby Goettelman would be the first Bruin to find the net on the day, breaking the string of Centaurus goals. The Warriors would strike back with two goals in 26 seconds to increase their lead to 5-1. Centaurus had a chance to once again build on their lead, but a shot on their next possession went off the post and into the hands of the Bruins. On the breakaway, Caroline Perry converted on her shot, to cut the Warriors lead to three.
It was that goal that gave the Bruins some momentum as they would score two more goals and only allow one going into halftime. After leading 5-1 at one point, the Warriors went into the break grasping to a 6-4 lead.
“We needed that one push to get us some momentum to let hold on knowing we could come back,” Perry said. “We knew after that we could come back and win this game.”
The momentum that the Bruins built to end the first half continued at the start of the second. A yellow card at the end of the first half gave the Bruins a one-man advantage that they took advantage of very early. They scored 26 seconds into the half to cut the lead to one. The Warriors would briefly regain a two-goal lead, but the Bruins would continue to fight back.
At 8:47 into the second half, Cherry Creek gained their first lead of the game on a Livvy List goal. For the next 15 minutes the two teams would battle back and forth with the Bruins taking the lead two more times, only to have the Warriors tie it up. Centaurus would take an 11-10 lead with 7:25 left, but Chole DeGrasse would erase their lead just over a minute later.
“We didn’t want this to be our last game,” Perry said. “We knew we had to do it as a team we had to play up to our potential and we had to do whatever we could do.”
A defensive battle would keep each team scoreless until a minute left in regulation when Blair Sisk slammed home a shot, giving the Bruins the lead and putting them only seconds away from yet another appearance in the state championship game.
Centaurs was able to muster up one more surge, and Olivia Holmes found herself with a look at the net, but her shot would ring off the post and the ball would squirt out to mid-field as time expired giving Cherry Creek the 12-11 win.
“(I thought) it was going to overtime,” Tiereny said. “We’ve practiced a ton of overtime so if that was the case I think we were ready to go.”
The Bruins will take on Air Academy in the state championship game Wednesday.
Chatfield moved to the semifinals for the first time on Wednesday. (Brian Miller)
LAKEWOOD — Having already snapped one unlucky streak last weekend, Chatfield’s girls lacrosse team took an even bigger step forward Wednesday evening.
The Chargers used a quick-fire approach to keep Denver East on its heels in the quarterfinals of the Class 5A state tournament. Junior Kendra Lanuza added to her state-leading tally with five goals and Rachael Walker added three goals and five assists as Chatfield moved into the state semis for the first time in school history with a 15-10 victory over the Angels at Trailblazer Stadium.
“It’s just an incredible feeling,” said Lanuza, who now has 98 goals this season. “We really have come together as a team this year and we’re just doing the impossible.”
Chatfield also got three goals from Summer Stafford, and two each from Jen Lanuza and Shelby Piper.
The Chargers (17-0) draw Air Academy at the University of Denver on Saturday. Centaurus and Cherry Creek meet in the other semifinal, with the state title game slated for May 21, also at DU.
Denver East (14-3) was led by senior Julia Dudley’s five goals and Sarah Nick added three more.
“We had eight seniors who did a great job and we’ve built a program that now has 60 girls and eight coaches,“ said Angels coach Chris Romer, who took over the program earlier this year along with co-coach Mallory Cleveland. “Mallory and I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve pulled together in basically three months.”
Chatfield had seen its season come to an end in the second round of the playoffs in each of the three previous seasons. That skid ended with a hard-fought 14-12 victory over Rampart on May 9, setting up the showdown with Denver East.
“We hadn’t played in two weeks. We came out a little bit rusty, a little bit slow,” Chargers coach Adam Everett said of the playoff opener. “I think getting that game in and then coming in here against East, a very good opponent, we were able to just play our game.”
The momentum shifted back and forth in the first half. Chatfield scored four consecutive goals early to take a 4-1 lead, but the Angels had an answer every time. Nick’s third goal of the half cut the lead to 8-6 at halftime.
In the second half though, Chatfield’s offensive rhythm took over, with quick passes leading to even quicker shots. Three of the team’s first four goals came on one-timers, and the Angels never seemed able to catch up to the team’s speedy attack.
“It’s that chemistry, knowing where people are going to be so they can just dump that ball off – that one-timer into the back of the net,” Everett said. “We’ve got the skill to do it. They stepped up tonight and they showed that they deserve to be in the Final Four.”
Walker, who had three assists in the first half, added two goals and two more assists in the second half. The Oregon-bound senior leads the state with 70 assists. Lanuza, who has verbally committed to DU, scored three goals in the second half.
“She’s an incredible player. She and Rachael Walker and Shelby Piper have all been just putting it into the back of the net for us all season,” Everett said. “We’ve been really fortunate to have those three. They all have the chemistry that has carried them through it.”
Denver East managed only four goals in the second half thanks to the combination of double- and triple-teams and five big saves from Chatfield goalie Emily McMinimee.
“We definitely really learned to step in front of the girls, especially the fast ones like Julia and Shelby Parks,” Lanuza said. “Just stop them and crash as a team.”
East had a few chances but couldn’t quite catch back up.
“Their goalie played outstanding and Chatfield is a good team,” Romer said. “They scored when they needed to score and we missed a few shots.”
Everett said with four great teams in the semifinals, Chatfield will need to be confident but not cocky. The Chargers have come this far, and they aren’t ready to see their run come to an end.
“We’re extremely fired up, especially with all the seniors on our team,” Lanuza said. “It’s their last shot. I think we definitely want it bad.”
COLORADO SPRINGS — The Air Academy girls lacrosse team advanced to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs after an impressive 19-2 win over Heritage/Littleton Friday night.
The Lady Kadets’ offense worked smoothly and efficiently as the defense played a near-flawless game forcing turnover after turnover. The Gryphons never appeared to get comfortable and the lack of flow played right into Air Academy’s ability to run their offense and convert their shots on goal.
“Defense wins championships. I’m an old sports cliche guy,” Kadets coach Sean Harmon said. “We really focus on that. Jessica Berg — I think from briefly looking at the book — she had 10 steals, which is an amazing game. I know that was frustrating for them in their offensive zone that we would get those quick takeaways.”
Minutes into the game the Kadets were able to build a 2-0 lead before the Gryphons would find the back of the net for the first time. Alexandra Coy cut the lead for Air Academy in half, but that’s when the Kadets would kick it into high gear. Led by midfielder Kaley Holmes, the Kadets would score the next 10 goals to end the second half, going into the break with a 12-2 lead.
Holmes led the squad with three first half goals while midfielder Natalie Berg and attacker Kennedy Jamieson each contributed two. The balanced scoring attack was designed to keep the Gryphons from being able to focus defensively on a single player.
“Having it be the first playoff game for us we wanted to come out here and play our game and play the best game we know how to play,” Natalie Berg said. “When we came out here we moved the ball on offense and wanted to make sure that not a single person was a threat so that it was difficult for them to defend us.”
The Kadets came out in the second half and scored five more before Heritage/Littleton would add its second goal of the game. But it would be too little, too late and Air Academy would move on with the 19-2 win. It was the kind of statement that the Kadets were hoping to make as they start their run at a state championship.
Constant offensive pressure and and a stingy defense is the kind of game that Harmon likes to see from his team and hopes to see plenty of it in the coming weeks.
“We fight for draw, every possession; whenever we do cause a turnover defensively we like to move the ball through transition and get going,” Harmon said. “Today we had our cutters moving and we were able to get some goals pretty easily.”
The road will only get tougher for the Kadets as they await the winner of Kent Denver and Cheyenne Mountain. They know the road to the championship will only get tougher so getting a big win early will help the Kadets build confidence as they get going.
“Momentum is all of it, we just gotta keep coming out hard,” Holmes said. “We went all out today and we came together as a team which was a big thing. It’s been kind of a struggle for us so coming out and playing the whole game and playing hard is what we’re trying to build on.”
Air Academy’s quarterfinal opponent will be determined Saturday with the quarterfinal game to be played next week.
AURORA — Regis Jesuit held a slim 6-5 lead over Dakota Ridge at the half. But the Raiders exploded for nine second-half goals en route to a 15-9 win over the Eagles in the first round of the girls lacrosse playoffs.
Regis Jesuit’s Kathleen Roe had six goals and an assist, and Emily Hammerstein had four and an assist. Sofia Evangelista made seven saves for the Raiders.
Centaurus is the No. 1 seed in the girls’ playoff field. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
AURORA — Centaurus girls lacrosse was runner-up last season in its first-ever trip to the state title game.
This season, the Warriors enter the tournament as the favorite. Centaurus was the No. 1 seed in the 20-team playoff field which was unveiled on Monday morning.
The Warriors went 14-1 during the regular season, including 13-0 against in-state teams. Centaurus has a first-round bye, and will face the winner of No. 16 Regis Jesuit and No. 17 Dakota Ridge.
Chatfield is the No. 2 seed for the girls, Air Academy is No. 3, Arapahoe is No. 4 and defending champion Cherry Creek is No. 5.
The girls semifinals will be at the University of Denver on May 17. The championship will also be at DU, on May 21.
Cherry Creek, meanwhile, has been runner-up each of the past two seasons. The Bruins are 11-0 against in-state teams this year.
Regis Jesuit got the No. 2 seed, Mountain Vista is No. 3, Kent Denver is No. 4 and Colorado Academy is No. 5.
The 5A boys quarterfinals will be held at Regis Jesuit, and the semis are at All-City Field at Denver South. 4A’s quarterfinals and semifinals are at home sites. Both the 5A and 4A title games will be held at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on May 17.
LAFAYETTE — The Centaurus girls lacrosse team has been a dominant squad throughout the season.
The Warriors were 11-0 in Colorado entering Wednesday, had outscored in-state opponents 183-61 and are No. 1 in this week’s CHSAANow.com ranking. So, in a sense, Centaurus (12-1 overall) was accustomed to overpowering its opponents this year.
Wednesday’s 13-12 win over No. 4 Arapahoe was different.
In a Centaurus home game at Spangenburg Field, Arapahoe scored eight consecutive goals to close the first half with a 9-4 lead on the top-ranked team. Arapahoe stymied a typically high-powered Centaurus attack as it took momentum time and again by winning draws and applying pressure on goal.
Arapahoe was balanced offensively as five different players scored in the half, led by Kienan Linhardt’s two goals.
“First half, basically we weren’t clicking,” Centaurus junior Sarah Myres said. “We weren’t putting our shots in, we weren’t faking or shooting at the goalie. Last year, we really thrived as a comeback team, we would be down five or four goals and win. We went and talked about that in the huddle and we came back out with a different mentality and we pushed the fastbreak.”
Andrea Kim, a talented sophomore who started as a freshman on Centaurus’ state-runner up team, said the Warriors never lost composure.
“If anything, we were really pumped up,” Kim said about trying to overcome the deficit. “We haven’t really had this close of a game before, so it was really nice to get that competition in preparation for the postseason. I thought it was amazing how our team was able to pull it together.”
Centaurus’ mental fortitude and offensive talent shined in the second half as Kim, Myres and Katherine Burns slashed through the defense for open looks. The Warriors, a team with great quickness and speed, got in the open field and caused problems for Arapahoe.
Myres struck first to make the game 9-5 with twenty minutes remaining. Just over a minute later, Burns scored. Twenty seconds later, Myres scored. Thirty seconds later, Burns scored, and it was a new game at 9-8 with 17:55 to play.
“I just thought that I needed to be more aggressive in the game and drive in and take those shots,” Myres said of the offensive outburst.
Kim and Burns followed her lead, but Arapahoe answered the call with an Alexis Linhardt goal at the 17:43 mark to reclaim a two-goal advantage.
In the end, Arapahoe was unable to cease Centaurus’ momentum as Kim scored three of her team’s final four goals to take a 13-11 lead with three minutes to play.
Arapahoe’s Kate Englert, the team’s leading scorer this season, had a desperation goal with 1:01 left to cut the deficit to one, but Centaurus won the final draw, stalled, and secured its eighth consecutive win.
Centaurus coach Genny Horning credited the win to the players’ cool demeanor under pressure during their first large deficit of the season.
“I think that’s what’s so great about this team,” Horning said. “They’re so mentally tough, they’re super composed, and they’re confident. That just fires them up to play harder and play better. Everybody really wants to play the best they possibly can.”
Kim admitted it’s a growing process learning to play confidently.
“I think taking the draw kind of got in my head when I kept losing it,” Kim said. “As soon as I got on that first run, I thought, ‘OK let’s do it again, do it again, do it again.’ I think for me, it was just working on my mental game a lot.”
Centaurus, with a game remaining against 11-3 ThunderRidge, likely has the inside track to the No. 1 overall seed when the playoff bracket is unveiled Monday. The Warriors have defeated current top-10 ranked teams Air Academy, Colorado Academy, Denver East, Kent Denver, Cherry Creek — and now Arapahoe.
Horning is confident in her team, but knows the path to a possible state championship, which would be Centaurus’ first in girls lacrosse, will be anything but easy.
“I would say there’s a really high-level top eight or nine teams this season, so it’s up for grabs,” Horning said. “Everybody’s showing up, everybody’s working hard, everybody’s getting better. For us, we talk a lot about making sure we’re better every day, every game, every practice. We absolutely have to be better to be able to make a deep run in the playoffs, so we certainly will not rest and take anything for granted.”
