Tough stretch of games will make Air Academy girls lacrosse battle hardened come playoff time

US AIR FORCE ACADEMY – It wasn’t long ago that the Air Academy girls lacrosse team was considered the premier program in all of Colorado.

From 2009 to 2014, the Kadets claimed three state championships with the other three going to Cherry Creek. But starting in 2015, Colorado Academy has been the team to beat. The problem is no one has been able to do it.

In 2021, the sport was split into two classifications and the Kadets compete in Class 5A where the Mustangs are still dominant to this day.

A positive attitude has Air Academy thinking it can get back to the status of state championship contender that it enjoyed for a six-year stretch.

“This team, we all just love each other so much,” junior Emma Martin said. “It means so much to have such a positive atmosphere that we can keep training even after (some tough) games. If you make a mistake, you have all this support around you. It’s amazing.”

After a hot start to the season, the Kadets (4-3 overall) hit a very tough stretch of their schedule. They played Colorado Academy, Valor Christian, and defending 4A state champion Evergreen all within seven days of each other.

Even against those teams, the Kadets haven’t necessarily struggled when it comes to scoring goals. Marguerite Schipfer leads the team with 27 and scored three in the loss to Colorado Academy and six in the loss to Evergreen.

The big difference between these losses happening this year and in years past is the attitude of the girls coming off the field. Losses are always tough, but this group is dedicated to using them as learning experiences in order to progressively get better through the course of the season.

“We’re staying positive through these tough games,” coach Kali Maxwell said. “That’s not something we’ve necessarily had these last few seasons. I know a loss is never a good thing, but we’ve had some good losses against some really good teams that are top three in the state.”

Tough competition is crucial to the development of any team that has high ambitions in a season. Going undefeated in a regular season can look great on paper, but when the competition gets upped for the playoffs, teams can figure out how important it is for iron to sharpen iron.

“This experience is going to help us toward the end of the regular season and in the playoffs,” Marguerite Schipfer said. “It’ll help us come out stronger next time. We’re learning and we know the mistakes we made. Next time we’ll get at it and try and get an early lead.”

With games against Rock Canyon, Green Mountain and Cherry Creek still on the schedule, this Air Academy team plans on being well-tested for when the regular season ends and the quest for a state championship truly begins.

And make no mistake, the seeds of the Kadets’ hopes of making a deep tournament run were planted by the tough teams they saw in the regular season. And coming out of those games, win or lose, with a positive attitude could be the jolt this team needs to do something special.

“Playoffs is a new season,” Maxwell said. “If we can get to playoffs, I’m excited to see what we can do there.”