Future NCAA DI lacrosse player notches 100th-career goal as No. 1 Battle Mountain stays undefeated

Kate Kovacik always planned to make her mark at Battle Mountain. On Thursday night, she officially etched her name into the history books.

“It means so much. It’s just such a huge milestone for all four years of high school,” Kovacik said after notching her 100th-career goal with 1:07 left in the second quarter of the Huskies’ 22-1 win over Eagle Valley. “I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and all my coaches. I couldn’t have done it without my sister. She’s done so much for me.”

Kovacik’s twin sister, Izzy, went over the century mark at the end of last year and has 120-career goals. Both players were sophomores when Molly Kessenich set the program record (178).

“She had a huge influence, because she had so many goals and was such a powerful player — I looked up to her so much because I wanted to be that,” Kate Kovacik said of Kessenich, who graduated in 2024. “And she was so sweet. She just always made sure I was doing the right thing and just helping me be a better player.”

Kate Kovacik grew up coming to her brother’s games at Battle Mountain. By the time she was 6, she knew she wanted to go all in on lacrosse.

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“I just couldn’t wait to be on the team and be a Husky,” she stated.

Battle Mountain has been a force since the Kovaciks arrived. The Huskies went undefeated in league play in 2024 en route to a 15-1 season and were 13-5 last spring. Even though they’ve dominated Western Slope play, however, Battle Mountain has run into trouble against Front Range teams in the playoffs. They were eliminated by Green Mountain in last year’s state semifinal.

“It definitely was a shocker to us, just mentally and physically,” Kate Kovacik said of that 12-9 loss to the eventual state runner-up. “We all knew we needed to be better and stronger. I think we’re all trying to be better players this year and play as a team.”

So far, so good.

Battle Mountain is off to a 6-0 start and is currently ranked No. 1 in 4A. The Huskies have outscored opponents 112-21 and taken down three squads ranked in the top-6. They defeated No. 4 Roaring Fork 16-5 on March 17 and No. 6 Aspen 15-7 a week later. When asked what makes the group unique, assistant coach Chris Inks pointed to the 14 seniors.

“With that comes four years of playing together,” he explained. “That’s just a lot of chemistry you build over those years.”

The cohesion was on full display on Thursday. Seven different Huskies poured in first-quarter goals. With 7:06 left in the second, Kate Kovacik rotated around the wing, switching spots with Izzy Kovacik — who threaded a beautiful pass back to her sister for the 12-0 lead. Shortly after, the whole team celebrated as Rylee Jennings put the ball in the back of the net for the first time in varsity play. Both plays highlighted what Inks has seen every day.

“We see a ton of really tight two-man games happening out there on the field,” he said before adding that the whole team possesses a shared sense of meaning and goals.

“Everybody is kind of chasing that dream this year,” he said.

Battle Mountain had no trouble in taking down Eagle Valley 19-0 earlier in the month, and it was the same movie on Thursday. In regards to Kovacik’s monumental goal, it was more when, not if. With her team already up 14-0, she received flip pass on the wing, curled inside and ripped a right-side shot from about 10-yards out.

“One hundred goals is a heck of an accomplishment,” commented Inks. “It takes a ton of hard work and dedication to have that much success over four years. So, hats off to Kate.”

Fifteen different players scored goals in the win, with Kate Kovacik’s hat trick leading the way. Addie O’Connor, Murphy Werner, Palmer Ulvestad and Izzy Kovacik each scored twice as well.

Battle Mountain faces No. 3 Steamboat Springs on April 4. The Huskies beat the Sailors 16-6 in the season opener. If there is a game circled on the calendar for Kovacik, it’s the April 11 meeting with Golden, a team that beat Battle Mountain 14-10 last year. Ultimately, however, the future Akron player hopes her team is playing on the final day of the season — for the most important prize.

“I’m just happy for all of us,” Kovacik said when asked for a final thought on her big achievement. “And I think we could go really far.”