Green Mountain girls soccer shuts out Northridge in playoff opener

LAKEWOOD — Green Mountain put a 2-game losing streak and falling to a fourth-place finish in the deep Class 4A Jeffco League in the rearview mirror Wednesday night.

The No. 13th-seeded Rams dominated Northridge to the tune of a 6-0 victory in the opening round of the 4A state tournament at Lakewood Memorial Field. 

Green Mountain (10-3-1 record) was right in the thick of the race for a conference title, but losses to D’Evelyn and Golden on back-to-back nights last week kept the league title out of reach. However, it was a different story in the postseason opener.

Junior Alyssa Hamilton found the back of the net twice in the opening half to give the Rams a 2-0 halftime lead against No. 20 Northridge (9-5-2). Hamilton completed the hat-trick in the second half with her 24th goal of the season.

Sophomore Charlize Ellsworth had a pair of goals and junior Piper Carlson added a goal for Green Mountain in the second half to advance the Rams into the round of 16 of the 4A state tournament. Senior goalie Taya Olguin recorded the shutout in net while making saves on both shots she faced against the Grizzlies.

Green Mountain will face conference rival Dakota Ridge in the second round Saturday, May 11, at Lakewood Memorial Field. 

It was a banner night for 4A Jeffco teams that went a perfect 5-0 in first-round games. No. 7 Golden and No. 14 Evergreen managed 1-goal victories as higher seeds. No. 17 D’Evelyn — 4A Jeffco League champion — and No. 29 Dakota Ridge — defending 4A state champion — both grabbed road victories to keep Jeffco undefeated on the night.