Dakota Ridge girls soccer shuts out Standley Lake in the wind at NAAC

ARVADA — Dakota Ridge girls soccer didn’t really breeze its way to a third straight shutout victory Friday night at the North Area Athletic Complex, but the Eagles got the job done.

With both Dakota Ridge and Standley Lake battling a cold north wind, the Eagles managed a 2-0 victory in the Class 4A/3A Jeffco League match. Dakota Ridge freshman Maddy Prejzner scored both goals for the Eagles in the 33rd and 79th minutes for the win.

“She had a great game tonight where we really needed her,” Dakota Ridge coach Paul Moline said. “She has come a long way and is going to be a really exciting player moving forward, and for years to come.”

Going into the wind, Prejzner broke the scoreless tie late in the first half. Junior Lakeryn Gutierrez fed a pass up to Prejzner, who was able to get a foot on the ball to deflect it past Standley Lake sophomore goalie Kinsley Palmer.

Prejzner sealed the win seconds after Dakota Ridge junior goalie Riley Mulberry made a big save after a direct free kick from Standley Lake senior Kate Mullen. Mullen’s shot went off the head of Dakota Ridge senior Kaylie Sheehan and into the hands of Mulberry.

“It was definitely nerve-wracking, but I have trust in my defense,” Mulberry said of the Eagles holding onto a 1-goal lead late in the game. “I know my defense is going to step to the ball and do what I need them to do. Worst case scenario, I do my job behind them.”

Mulberry’s ensuing deep goal kick was eventually corralled by Prejzner after she created a turnover. The freshman found herself one-on-one with Palmer. The Gator goalie made the initial save, but Prejzner stayed with it and put the ball into the back of the net with just over a minute to play.

“She (Prejzner) did really well tonight,” Mulberry said of the freshman forward. “She proved herself that stepping hard to the ball really pays off. Following your shot really does count. Every little touch you can get counts.”

Dakota Ridge (4-1-2 record, 3-0-1 in 4A/3A Jeffco League) has allowed just one goal in its last five games. The Eagles have gone 3-0-2 during the 5-game stretch.

“I’ve got an awesome defense and an awesome midfield,” Mulberry said. “As a team we step really hard to the ball.”

It was the second tough close loss for Standley Lake (4-2-1, 1-2-1) this week. The Gators lost to Green Mountain 3-2 back on March 31. Standley Lake sits in the 7th spot in the conference standings.

Dakota Ridge is in second place in league just behind Evergreen. The Eagles have a huge week coming up facing Green Mountain (5-1-1, 3-1-0) on Tuesday, April 7, and Evergreen (3-1-2, 3-0-0) on Friday, April 10.

“I think our team is really excited and confident,” Mulberry said about facing Green Mountain and two-time defending 4A state champion Evergreen in back-to-back games. “We are going to go into this coming week as strong as we can. We are going to give it everything we’ve got.”

Moline expects two really good games next week against the two squads that handed Dakota Ridge its lone conference losses a year ago.

“We are kind of two different teams right now at times. We will see what team comes to play,” said Moline about the big week coming up. “I think it is going to be a dogfight next week. I think our girls will be excited about it. I think for some of the bigger games we come out and play really well.”