Evergreen girls soccer hunts down back-to-back state titles

COLORADO SPRINGS — The frustration of three Class 4A girls soccer state runner-up finishes over a 5-year span is well in the rear-view mirror for the Evergreen Cougars.

“It’s absolutely amazing,” Evergreen senior Lucia Spungin said after the Cougars defeated Windsor 4-3 in penalty kicks late Tuesday night at Weidner Field in Colorado Springs. “It’s the topping on top of the cake.”

It was Evergreen’s fifth appearance in the 4A girls soccer championship game over the past nine years. The Cougars were 4A state runner-up in 2017, 2019 and 2021. Evergreen finally broke through winning the 4A championship game over Lutheran last year at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

The Cougars were the underdogs a season ago as the No. 14 seed. Evergreen defeated the No. 3 (Windsor) and No. 2 (Northfield) on the way to the title.

“It was defintely a lot different,” Spungin said of winning last year as the No. 14 seed compared to being the favorite as the No. 1 seed this year. “The team had a lot more confidence this year coming into each game. We still had to stay modest. We had a lot more confidence this time.”

Going from being the hunter to the hunted as the defending state champs was a change for Evergreen that returned several players from last year’s state championship squad.

“It was a chance in mindset, but never once did we chance in how we played,” said Evergreen junior Gianna Weiner, who assisted on the Cougars’ game-tying goal by sophomore Elle Buenning in the 54th minute that eventually sent the game into overtime tied 1-1. “We had challenges both years.”

Evergreen had 1-goal wins over Erie, Windsor and Northfield in the earlier rounds a year ago before defeating Lutheran 2-0 in the championship game.

“To me, there wasn’t much difference,” Evergreen coach Peter Jeans said of being the No. 14 or No. 1 seed. “You have to play great teams in the playoffs no matter what seed you are at. You have to win your games and you have to perform. These girls did it.”

Evergreen was able to exercise the demons of Weidner Field. The championship soccer games were moved to Colorado Springs this season. It was the same location for the 2021 soccer championships where Holy Family edged Evergreen 2-1. 

“We didn’t talk about that at all,” Weiner said of the 2021 runner-up squad that lost at Weidner Field against Holy Family. “We were more focused on what we could do. (Windsor) had a very good team on the field. We were definitely focused on that.”

After back-to-back 4A state titles with a team with a very talented junior class, along with sophomore goalie Avery Mahnken back, the Cougar players can turn their attention to a possible 3-peat.

“I’m super excited for next year,” Weiner said. “I think we have some really good freshmen coming in.”

Jeans was a little more reserved after Evergreen finished off the postseason grind of winning a state championship and finishing off a 17-12 record.

“We’ll just savor this one,” Jeans said when asked about a 3-peat.