Championship deja vu: Evergreen girls lacrosse 3-peats as 4A state champs

DENVER — Fans of girls lacrosse in Colorado have seen this before.

Evergreen captured its third consecutive Class 4A state title Friday night at Peter Barton Stadium on the University of Denver campus. However, the way the Cougars completed their 3-peat was eerily similar to how the streak started.

Two years ago, Ryn Gardner scored the game-winning goal with 2 seconds left to give the Cougars a 11-10 walk-off victory against Mead. Fast-forward to Friday night, this time it was Evergreen junior Grace Lessig scoring the game-winner.

“In the huddle before I picked up the ball we talked about it being a flashback to my freshman year,” Lessig said. “This is exactly how it happened before.”

Evergreen took a timeout with 20 second remaining and possession of the ball with the game tied up 11-11. Lessig took the free possession and eventually raced around toward the front of the net and fired on goal.

“Athletes show up in those big moments,” Evergreen coach Rachel Sanford said of the individual effort by Lessig to score with 4 second remaining in regulation time to give the Cougars a 12-11 victory over Golden to claim a third straight 4A state title.

Golden (16-3 record) defeated Evergreen 18-11 in their 4A West League meeting back on April 23 at the North Area Athletic Complex. The Demons had nine different goal scorers, while Gardner poured in 7 of 11 goals for the Cougars it what started a 3-game losing streak for Evergreen before the start of the postseason.

“It’s crazy. I was like no way,” Gardner said of the Cougars’ incredible playoff run that included knocking off No. 1 and previously undefeated Battle Mountain in the semifinals. “Even when I got to the field today it didn’t feel real. I’m so happy, I can’t believe it. I’m so lucky to be on such a great team.”

Gardner finished with four goals in the title game. The University of Colorado-bound product finished her career with 347 goals. She broke the 80-goal mark in all four seasons as a Cougar.

The senior scored the game-tying goal with 2:16 left in the fourth quarter after Golden had taken its first lead of the game at 11-10 when a goal from sophomore Tatum Pyatt with 3:58 left in the fourth quarter.

“I knew I had to go,” Gardner said of her game-tying goal that ended four unanswered goals by the Demons. “My goggles were in my eyes. I didn’t even see the shot. I thought, ‘I better be in front of the cage’ because at that point you just have to shoot the ball and hopefully it goes in.”

Lessig had three goals on the night. Junior Addison White and freshman Charlee Hood both had a pair of goals as the Cougars (10-7) ended the season with four straight playoff wins.

“It is always possible,” Sanford said of the Cougars winning the state title despite entering the playoffs with a losing record. “I put it on my calendar. You never book travel. It’s there and the more it became a reality, it became more possible.”

A Jeffco school has won the 4A girls lacrosse state championship five times over the six years since the sport expanded into two classifications starting in 2021. Friday was the second straight season the 4A title game was an all-Jeffco affair. Evergreen defeated Green Mountain 19-6 in last year’s championship.

The third state title in four years will bump Evergreen up to the 5A classification for the next 2-year CHSAA cycle.

“Let’s give it our best shot,” Lessig said of the Cougars playing in 5A next year.

Golden’s breakout season advancing to the program’s first state championship game with a very young and talented group is a sign that this is just the beginning for the Demons.

“We’ll be back here,” Golden coach Robby McClure said when asked about what his message to his team was after the game. “I don’t typically make too many guarantees, but we will be back.”

Pyatt had a stellar championship game with six goals. Freshman Lila Rodriguez had a hat-trick and junior Katie Hufford had a pair of goals in the loss that ended a 9-game winning steak for the Demons.

“What an amazing game,” McClure said. “You couldn’t ask for a better 4A state championship. Congrats to Evergreen. They did a great job. The game could have gone either way. We told them to remember this feeling. We know it hurts, but we will be back. We will be back.”