COLORADO SPRINGS – In the middle of the Class 3A girls soccer state title game, Colorado Academy stopped playing against history.

The Mustangs stopped playing for the lofty goals they are chasing as a program. They dropped the weight of playing for alumni that donned a black jersey and the legacy of state-title stars arched across their sleeves.

They had to, because a suddenly feisty Timnath was in front of them on the pitch.

All it took was a moment for CA to lock in and produce a 3-1 win that secured the Mustangs back-to-back state titles on Tuesday at Weidner Field.

Loghan Meisner had two goals and Lyla Kocher added a tally for the No. 1 seeded Mustangs (17-1-2)

It’s the seventh state title for the Mustangs, who pull into a second-place tie with Kent Denver and Cheyenne Mountain for the most all-time. Arapahoe sits atop the all-time list with nine state titles.

“We talk a lot about the program,” CA coach Sean Stedeford said. “It’s not just the girls wearing the jerseys now. It’s the ones that have worn it in the past. We have a former champion on our staff, we have middle school girls in the crowd. It’s not just tonight’s team. It’s about the girls that put the other stars on our sleeves. We begin again every year.”

In the 21st minute, Meisner settled a long, direct pass that came out of the midfield, beat a defender and tucked a left-footed shot inside the near post for a 1-0 advantage. CA held a 9-0 edge in shots on goal in the first half.

Because Colorado Academy connected with lengthy, crisp passes through the midfield, it was able to quickly transition into its attacking third. It was such an efficient attack that the Mustangs defenders continued to push their back line forward as University of Denver signee, goalkeeper Lucy Garnsey stood outside the penalty box and took in the action in front of her with her hands on her hips.

The Mustangs played through the midfield with speed and controlled possessions. A 1-2 wide passing set between Bella Torres and Kocher stretched out the Cubs’ defense and led to a Torres’ chipped shot that sailed over the goal.

One possession later, Jordan Slutzky, who earlier in the day helped lead the Mustangs to the 2A girls golf state title – rocketed a shot into Cubs’ goalkeeper Sara Swensen’s arms – as CA stepped up its efforts and hunted a second goal before halftime.

Jordan Slutzky (Photo courtesy of the Slutzky family)

The goal never came, but a halftime adjustment did.

“We decided to put another player in the midfield to make the overload even more than the first half,” Stedeford said.

Even though they had just one shot, which came from near midfield in the 25th minute, the Cubs (13-5-2) netted the equalizer in the 57th minute as Maia Kub tied the match 1-1.

It was the first goal the Mustangs allowed all post season and it didn’t stand up for long. With only one pass, Meisner scored the go-ahead goal off the restart. Stedeford said he didn’t think the Cubs touched the ball on the play.

“We wanted to play our soccer and move the ball,” Meisner siad. “We knew after they scored that this game was not over. We wanted to get a quick one on the board, my teammates found me and I put one in the back of the net.”

Moments later, Kocher blasted a shot inside the far post for an insurance goal and 3-1 lead.

“It always fires me up a little bit,” said Kocher about the Cubs’ goal. “It’s motivation overall it focuses me in and locks me into the game.”

The 2025 Mustangs have their own star and are now a part of CA history.