DENVER - Grace Lessig waded into a thicket of defenders as the final seconds ticked away in Friday night’s Class 4A girls lacrosse state championship game.
The Evergreen junior didn't panic, found a shoebox-sized hole in Golden’s defense and slipped a shot into the back of the net with just three seconds remaining to give her team an 11-10 victory in a rousing contest at Peter Barton Stadium on the campus of the University of Denver.
Lessig’s game-winner delivered a third-straight 4A state title for coach Rachel Sanford’s Cougars (10-7), whose success will prompt a move up to 5A next season.
“I heard the countdown from like five seconds and I was like it’s now or never, so I just have to go for it,” Lessig said. “I didn’t have much room, but it was so exciting. I’m so happy I get to be a part of this.”
In a matchup of Jefferson County programs that know each other well, the championship game came down to a game in which both teams had possessions inside the final minute of a tie game.
Golden (16-3) — which won the first meeting of the teams — worked its way back from a deficit of as many as three goals to actually take a brief one-goal lead, had the ball for a minute-plus in a tie game and had a prime chance for the go-ahead score.
Demons junior Katie Hufford earned a free shot with just 36 seconds left and her shot got past Evergreen freshman goalie Rae Pegues, but clanged loudly off the right goalpost and came out. The
Cougars gained possession and called time out with 20 seconds remaining.
“It was terrifying, but it was amazing,” Pegues said of the sweet sound of metal keeping the ball out.
Evergreen had a major option in crunch time with the presence of University of Colorado-bound senior Ryn Gardner — who had four goals in the game, including the tying score in traffic with 2:16 remaining — but Golden’s defense played her heavily.
That kept the ball in the stick of Lessig, who first split a pair of defenders and then launched a shot as a wave of others closed on her that got through Golden freshman goalie Bethany Knoedler and into the net.
“We made a plan (in the time out) and it didn’t necessarily work out that way, but having the ball in Grace Lessig’s hands is not a bad thing,” Sanford said. “It’s a good secondary option. It's always great to win a nailbiter."
It was a dramatic ending to a back-and-forth contest that saw Evergreen take multiple-goal leads on several occasions, only to be reeled back by sophomore Tatum Pyatt (who had five goals, including the go-ahead score with 3:38 left) and the Demons.
Sanford credited the play of Pegues early in keeping Golden at bay, especially in the first half and the start of the third quarter, when she denied multiple free shot chances.
The Cougars were able to win another championship despite significant losses to graduation. They will have them again when Gardner (who scored a goal of 75 goals on the season) departs, but Lessig and junior Addison White will try to pick up the slack.
Evergreen will face a different landscape next season as well, as its success at the 4A level will require them to move up to the 5A level next season.
“This is such a memorable thing to be a part of,” Lessig said. “We lost a lot of seniors and we had a tough start to the season, but we worked our way back. We’re going to have a fun next year and we’re super excited. We’re going to give it our best shot to keep it going next year.”
Added Pegues: “It’s going to be different next year, it’s going to be scary. We’re probably going to have to push really really hard because we’re losing a lot of great seniors, but I think we can do it.”
Golden, meanwhile, will likely be a 4A contender again next season with a roster that was filled with underclassmen. Freshman Lila Rodriguez had three goals in the final to finish behind Pyatt for team-high honors, while Hufford added two scores.