Colorado Academy girls lacrosse captures fourth-straight championship
DENVER — For the fourth consecutive year, Colorado Academy and Cherry Creek met for girls lacrosse’s state championship. And for the fourth consecutive year, Colorado Academy is the girls lacrosse state champion.
Colorado Academy led 5-4 at halftime, and then went on a four-goal run to expand their lead and put the game out of reach en route to a 13-7 victory on Wednesday at the University of Denver’s Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
“The message to the team in halftime was that they are not going away,” Colorado Academy head coach Stephanie Sanders said about what she told her team during halftime. “Mo matter what we do they are not going away until the end of the game.
“We came in knowing that no part of this game was going to be easy, and it wasn’t.”
The game matched two unbeaten teams at 18-0, with Cherry Creek seeded No. 1 overall, and Colorado Academy at No. 2. The two programs also sit Nos. 1 and 2 in terms of championships won, with Cherry Creek having won 10.
They hadn’t played since their matchup in the title game last spring.
After the teams traded goals to start the night, Mustangs midfielder Jessie Bakes scored twice to push Colorado Academy’s lead to 4-1. Cherry Creek battled back in the dying minutes of the first half to cut down the Mustangs lead to 5-4 following the first half.
But Colorado Academy then went on its run to extend its lead.
It led to another title, the fifth in the history of the program.
“I just cannot be able to comprehend it, I am so proud of the team,” Colorado Academy forward Lauren Russell said. “This has been a dream of mine since I was in eighth grade, so it is absolutely awesome for it to be happening.”
