OT header gives Evergreen girls soccer the nod in all-Jeffco state quarterfinal

LAKEWOOD — Evergreen juniors Gianna Weiner and Nadia Leunig punched the Cougars’ ticket to the Class 4A girls soccer state semifinals.

Top-seed and defending 4A state champion took a 1-0 overtime victory against Jeffco rival Dakota Ridge on Tuesday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.

“Overtime, you don’t know how stressful it is until you are in it,” Leunig said. “We had a lot of chances in regulation-time to get one in. Going into overtime (Dakota Ridge) had some chances. It was going to come down to one goal. I’m glad it was us.”

It was Leunig who scored the game-winning goal as she buried a corner kick by Weiner in the 89th minute. Dakota Ridge sophomore goalie Riley Mulberry didn’t have a chance to make the save as Leunig’s goal kept the Cougars’ state repeat dreams alive 

“I hit a couple of good corners and we had a couple of good tries on them,” Weiner said. “It was just a matter of time before someone got it in. Nadia finished. It was just a really good header.” 

Leunig scored the game-winning goal nearly a season ago in the 4A state championship game at Lutheran at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

“I know Gianna is so consistent with corners,” Leunig said. “I saw it coming to the exact right spot. I saw the goalie coming and I knew I just had to get there first. It was the perfect ball.”

Evergreen (15-1-2 record) advances to the 4A semifinals Thursday, May 15, at Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood. The Cougars will face No. 4 Lutheran at 7:30 p.m. The Lions scored a 3-0 shutout win over No. 5 Durango on Tuesday night. 

“I think our confidence improves every game,” Leuing said. “We’ve been in tough situations. I think the experience from last year and how to play when it’s 0-0 or if we are down one or up one definitely shows in games like this. We know what to do.”

Evergreen is on a 13-game winning streak. The run includes the Cougars with eight straight shutout victories.

Even heading to overtime, Evergreen coach Peter Jeans had full faith in his experience squad. He actually had the players talk for the 5-minute break as the coaching staff stepped away. 

“We do have great leadership,” Jeans said. “It is easy coaching when you have players and leadership like that.”

The league meeting earlier this season between Dakota Ridge and Evergreen was all Cougars. Evergreen took a 5-1 victory. The Eagles were missing a handful of players in the in conference game and gave everything the defending champions could handle at NAAC the second time around.

“We didn’t sit back. We attacked. We went forward,” Dakota Ridge coach Paul Moline said. “I thought our scoring opportunities were more dangerous.”

Most of the Eagles’ scoring chances came off the foot of either senior Ava Arnold or junior Kaylie Sheehan. Dakota Ridge (14-4) nearly took a lead in the first half when Sheehan ripped a shot that hit the cross bar flush. 

Arnold’s best scoring chance came off a low shot on the ground in the 64th minute. Evergreen sophomore goalie Avery Mahnken was able to make a diving save just to guide the ball wide of the net. Mahnken had 10 saves on the night.

“I think our defense handled them pretty well,” Weiner said of the dangerous scoring tries from Arnold and Sheehan. 

The Eagles came in riding an 8-game win streak, including an overtime victory against No. 9 Palmer Ridge on Saturday at Lakewood Memorial Field.

“Part of it was just building culture this year,” Moline said of his first year at Dakota Ridge. “They all bought in and that made it really easy. They are all really great kids and good friends. I wish we could go another week. They do too. We just started peaking.”

The other 4A semifinal at Trailblazer Stadium will be No. 10 Rampart versus No. 3 Windsor. Rampart knocked off No. 2 Green Mountain to end the possibility of an all-Jeffco 4A championship game May 20 at Switchbacks Weidner Field in Colorado Springs.

“They easily could have walked out of here with a win and into the semifinals,” Jeans said of Dakota Ridge. “They played a great game, but we had that one moment of great quality.”