Green Mountain girls soccer drives home key win over Dakota Ridge

LAKEWOOD — Green Mountain senior Alyssa Hamilton is making a strong case to be the Class 4A/3A Jeffco League girls soccer MVP this season.

Hamilton — signed to play at the University of Idaho — added to her already impressive resume with a pair of second-half goals Tuesday night at Lakewood Memorial Field. It was all Green Mountain needed in a 2-0 victory against Dakota Ridge. 

“This is obviously a very good win,” Hamilton said after scoring her 18th and 19th goals of the season to go along with five assists. “Dakota Ridge is always a hard game. This is a good test that we can hang with the good teams and win. We put up a good fight.”

Green Mountain (8-0-1, 3-0-1 in 4A/3A Jeffco League) only has one blemish on the season, a tie against the defending 4A state champions, Evergreen (4-1-2, 3-0-1). The win over Dakota Ridge (6-2, 3-1-0) handed the Eagles their first conference loss.

“Our response was awesome,” Green Mountain coach Bari Abuhadema said of defeating the Eagles who won the 4A state championship back in 2023. “We were locked in for this game. We were playing for each other. The girls played together as a team and that is what it took.”

The Rams and Eagles were tied 0-0 at halftime. Dakota Ridge sophomore goalie Riley Mulberry and Green Mountain senior goalie Olivia Wallace were both solid in the net for the first 40 minutes. 

Hamilton broke the ice with a goal in the 44th minute. The senior was able to beat a couple of defenders before tapping the ball past Mulberry at close range.

“I was a little worried. I’m not going to lie,” Hamilton said of her first goal. “Those are always close. You get a little scared, a little nervous. I’m just glad it went in off my weak foot. It could have gone anywhere.”

Dakota Ridge senior Ava Arnold — West Virginia University commit — had one of the Eagles’ better scoring chances with a direct free kick in the second half, but her shot just sailed over the cross bar.

“I was a little nervous. I thought it might curve in,” Wallace said of the set piece. “I was ready to jump as high as I could. My team set up a good wall. We had good positioning on it.”

Hamilton sealed the victory in the 77th minute with a shot from the top of the goal box. Sophomore Addison Cansler had a perfect pass to Hamilton to put the game away.

“All we needed was one more,” Hamilton said of her second goal. “Then we could settle in and play defense to finish this game.”

The Rams have recorded five shutout wins in their last six matches.

“We have a young back line,” Wallace said. “We all work together. It has been working really well.”

Green Mountain returns to Lakewood Memorial Field on Friday to face Wheat Ridge. That league game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.

Dakota Ridge has another big conference test facing the defending 4A state champions. The Eagles travel up to Evergreen High School to face the Cougars at 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 11.