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Aspen girls lacrosse gets offensive in rout of Eagle Valley

Jon Maletz
The Aspen Times
Aspen, CO Colorado

ASPEN – The quick-strike Aspen girls lacrosse team amassed 30 goals in two lopsided wins against Telluride last week.

They showed no signs of slowing Thursday, when they overwhelmed visiting Eagle Valley. Delaney Conner struck for two early scores, the Skiers jumped out a 5-0 lead after 17 minutes and they cruised to a 14-2 victory.

Seven different players scored goals for Aspen, which improved to 4-0 in its final game before spring break.



“We came out well. Delaney really sparked us – going for ground balls, setting the tempo and chasing hard to the cage,” Skiers head coach Meredith Sauder said. “Overall, it wasn’t our cleanest performance … but there were moments when we played our best lacrosse of the season, when things were clicking and they were coming together.”

Conner and Kylie Davis combined for five goals during the first 25 minutes and six in the game. Leading scorer Olivia Porcaro converted once before leaving the field after 17 minutes following a collision with a group of Devils players.




She spent the rest of the game wrapped in a blanket on the bench.

Aspen continued to impress in her absence. It led, 7-1, at the break and wasted little time extending that advantage in the second half. After just 48 seconds had elapsed, Mary Beasley corralled a pass, shed a defender on a run up the far side and went low for the score.

Little more than 2 minutes later, CoCo Writer extended her stick to haul in a long pass, then ripped a high liner into the net.

“We have a lot of players that can play different positions, so it’s easy for us to rotate. Where [someone getting hurt] would’ve been difficult for us last year, we now have the depth and flexibility where we can seamlessly set ourselves back up with an optimal lineup,” Sauder said. “I mostly focus on how we’re playing as a team, but it’s nice to look at the stats and see a lot of different people step up … and carry their own weight.”

Shannon Turbidy hit Beasley in stride with a perfect cross-field pass with 15 minutes remaining; Beasley drilled the net, stretching the lead to 10-1. Turbidy, Beasley and Kelly Tick each scored two goals.

The Skiers have outscored opponents, 44-3, in their last three games.

“I told the kids [after the game] that they’re in a tough position. With the success they’ve had, it’s hard to keep it all in perspective. It’s hard not to get complacent,” Sauder said. “We haven’t really even been down yet. … We haven’t seen it all yet. We need to make sure we keep playing our game, are playing at the level we expect of ourselves regardless of the score and never lose sight of our ultimate goal, which is being Western Slope conference champions.”

Aspen hosts Battle Mountain at 3 p.m. on April 5.

PARACHUTE, Colo. – Julia Kaputska, Tori Kungli and Ginevra Moore each scored two goals, helping lead the Longhorns to a 9-0 victory Thursday against Grand Valley in Parachute.

Basalt (4-0) raced out to a 3-0 advantage in the first half. Kaputska scored twice and Alex Dewind once during the first 40 minutes. Moore assisted on all three scores.

She and fellow junior Kungli got into the scoring act in the second. Stephanie Alvarado and Jamie Matherly also produced goals as the Longhorns steadily pulled away, securing their second road win in as many days before heading into spring break. They topped Roaring Fork, 3-1, on Wednesday afternoon.

Basalt next takes the field April 5, when it hosts Colorado Rocky Mountain School at 4 p.m.

jmaletz@aspentimes.com