Huskies girls lacrosse shuts out Aspen, howls into semifinals

Make it 16 wins in a row for No. 1 Battle Mountain girls lacrosse this season after a 14-0 shutout on Monday against No. 8 Aspen in the quarterfinals of the 4A playoffs.

With black-and-gold poms shaking in the stands, baby pictures of players hanging on the fence and “Dawgs Lacrosse” hats all over, the Huskies handled business against the Skiers in Edwards and will now leave the comfort of Edwards for the first time this playoffs when they head to Englewood High School to play No. 4 Evergreen on Wednesday.

“It was a playoff game and the last home game for this group of seniors, so I think they really wanted to come out and leave a mark on their last homestand,” Huskies coach Matt Ballay said after the game.

After beating conference foe Aspen twice this season, 15-7 and 19-5, Battle Mountain is clearly on a mission this playoffs with the shutout win Monday behind great goalie play by juniors Huntley Blue and Hallie Holleman.

Senior Isabel Thomas and freshman Poppy Saunders were ferocious on faceoffs for Battle Mountain, adding possessions and creating offense from the jump all game. Those opportunities paid off quickly for the Huskies with Thomas scoring the first goal of the game off an assist by senior Kate Kovacik. Dominating possession, the Huskies scored their second off “The Kovacik Connection” — Izabelle Kovacik to Kate Kovacik for the 2-0 lead four minutes into the game.

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Faced with overwhelming defense, the Skiers never crossed midfield with possession until more than halfway through the first quarter. Junior Catherine Provencher and senior Palmer Ulvestad were wreaking havoc before the Skiers could get any type of offense going.

“We didn’t want to underestimate any opponent and want go into every game with the mindset that it could be our last, so we’re excited to be moving on,” Izabelle Kovacik said postgame.

The Kovacik twins, who are an engine for this Huskies team, are off to the University of Akron next year to study and continue their lacrosse careers.

“I think our starting midfield with Izzy Kovacik and Kate Kovacik, they do such a good job on the draws and get us so many possessions,” Ballay said.

Aspen hung around early against Battle Mountain on Monday, but the Huskies defense proved to be just too much. Junior Sophia Erving and freshman Caroline Provencher got in on the action, and freshman Lindsey Wadey at one point pushed an Aspen attacker back 10-20 yards away from the net. Izabelle Kovacik literally knocked the goggles off someone, but quickly apologized and offered a hand up.

“There’s definitely a lot of seniors, but we have incredible freshmen on this team,” Izabelle Kovacik said of this year’s squad. “We have the Provencer twins who are absolutely incredible. Catherine stepped down to defense when asked to, and she’s been a dog out there.”

There was lots of barking at the Huskies home playoff games, and lots of dancing. We’re not sure if their practices are split between dance routines and lacrosse drills, but this team’s synchronicity — and style — on and off the field is a thing of beauty.

Senior Murphy Werner set up Gracyn Nestlerode early in the second quarter to make it 3-0, and Thomas added her second goal of the game halfway through the second for a 4-0 lead. The defense held strong and freshman Mia Eaton added the fifth goal, and Kate Kovacik set up Izabelle Kovacik for a 6-0 lead going into halftime.

In the third, senior Addie O’Connor took a fast break two minutes in, and junior Sophia Erving made a hustle play on defense, chasing down an open Skier heading for the net and forcing a turnover that Catherine Provencher took coast to coast, setting up a Saunders goal and an 8-0 lead halfway through the third. The Huskies would add four more in the third behind Ulvestad, Izabelle Kovacik and Kate Kovacik. Thomas would complete her hat trick early in the fourth quarter, and Werner capped the scoring at 14-0 with two minutes left. Holleman helped preserve the shutout after a flurry of Aspen attacks in the fourth quarter.

“Our defense has been really strong this year. Our communication is so good and I think the biggest thing is that we trust each other as a team,” Catherine Provencher said after the game, seemingly barely out of breath despite having a motor that doesn’t stop between the lines. “I do get tired, but all I remember is I have to be in the present and keep pushing for this team.”

Up next for the Huskies will be No. 4 Evergreen on a neutral site. Battle Mountain defeated Evergreen on March 1, 17-9, at Evergreen, and Cougars are coming off a 19-2 quarterfinals victory against Steamboat Springs.

“We’re going to stick to what we’ve been doing, but we’re going to come out and play our game,” Ballay said.

“Just keep playing our game,” Catherine Provencher said ahead of the matchup. “Our game is so strong right now, and if we keep pushing and trusting each other, we’ll play great.”

Ross Leonhart is a freelance writer, editor, social media specialist, snowboard instructor, local emcee and more. Follow Ross Leonhart on Instagram at Colorado_Livin_On_the_Hill.