Field hockey: Regis Jesuit beats Colorado Academy to win second state title in six months

DENVER – They’ve done it again.

At All-City Stadium on Monday night, the No. 1 Regis Jesuit field hockey team won 1-0 over No. 2 Colorado Academy in the state championship game. For the defending-champion Raiders, it was their third state title in four years and the first time a team repeated as state champion since Colorado Academy won back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015.

“It felt so amazing,” Raiders senior Katie Loftus said. “I’m just so proud our of our entire team because this is what we wanted at the beginning of the season and it’s what we made happen. So, I’m really happy for us. It’s so special, especially for the seniors.”

As she has been so many times throughout her senior season, Loftus was the hero in Monday’s title tilt.

With 33.1 seconds left in the first quarter, Loftus scored the game’s lone goal that stood up until the final buzzer against a Colorado Academy offense that features the state’s top two point-scorers in sophomore Zoe Martin (64 points) and senior Barrett Trigg (50). Loftus finishes the season second in the state with 18 goals and third with 47 total points.

Loftus also noted that the Raiders were proud of how they were able to win a championship during an unusual Season C campaign back in April and turn around to defend their crown just six months later. It was a unique accomplishment that left an impression on Regis Jesuit head coach Spencer Wagner as well.

“An unbeatable accomplishment,” Wagner joked. “I don’t think anyone will ever win two championships in one year again. The early goal certainly helped and I think we won the first half but they won the second half, just in terms of momentum. We got tired and they got hungry for the tying goal. We were ready for it to be tied and to go to overtime, honestly. I thought that’s what was going to happen, and we were preparing mentally. We knew going into this game we were facing a really good opponent and this should be a tied end result and it almost was.”

It took a phenomenal defensive effort from Regis Jesuit to shut out Colorado Academy, a team that averaged 3.7 goals per game in 2021. That shutout barrier was nearly breached, however, when the Mustangs appeared to score a goal in the final minutes of the game but the goal was waived off.

“It was a really well-played, close game and that’s really how you want the state championship game to go,” Colorado Academy head coach Veronica Scott said. “You don’t want it to be heavy on one side or the other. Respect for Regis. They came out here and knew how to play, they play well and they’ve got their structure. I team like that, even when you know how to play against them, they still play well. I was really impressed with our girls, particularly making some adjustments and picking up the tempo in the second half.

“But, you still have to score a goal.”

A victory for Colorado Academy on Monday night would have been the Mustangs’ second championship in three years. The Regis Jesuit program has now won three title in its history. Colorado Academy has won six.

To reach the finals, Regis Jesuit defeated No. 5 Arapahoe in what was the Warriors’ first-ever state semifinals appearance. In the opposite semifinal, Colorado Academy defeated Kent Denver to set up Monday’s title match.