SAN MIGUEL COUNTY – Taylor Babcock’s fourth-quarter celebration could have been much more demonstrative. Maybe it would’ve been if she knew her goal would help push the Demons girls lacrosse team past Telluride 8-6.
Denied twice Wednesday afternoon by Telluride senior goaltender Quinn Paczosa on solid opportunities during the second, and also on a particularly prime chance, set up by an Indie Eaton pass, in the third, the Durango junior attacker managed to drive around THS senior Gia Neyens and finally net a shot with 9:31 remaining in regulation.
Regaining the visitors a slow-cooked 5-4 advantage, the goal could have been, considering the nature and tempo of the game, enough to secure DHS a road win. Babcock and the Demons knew better.
“Their defense is strong and their goalies are always good,” Babcock said. “Making a shot on goal is always a huge relief. We know that they’re going to be aggressive, and we train … to be prepared every time to play aggressive.”
THS senior Lilly Sommers had retied the score at 6-all with just 3:24 left – or 35 seconds after senior Silvie Bosmans’ go-ahead tally, assisted by Babcock – but after receiving an outlet pass from senior goalie Fiona Chandler, Frausto somehow bolted end-to-end to score (with 1:46 left) what ended up being the deciding goal in the 8-6 victory.
“Like I told (Frausto), nothing feels better than getting even. She knew exactly what I meant by that,” said Durango head coach Eric Elliott. “And I couldn’t be happier. I mean, every time we play Telluride … we come in ready to expect exactly what we’ve got the last two games. Lindsey’s a great coach and it’s getting increasingly harder to squeak these wins out.”
Only 22 ticks into the contest, Lindsey Mills’ squad served the Demons (7-2 overall, 6-1 league) notice that it wanted to end THS’ seven-game head-to-head losing streak against DHS; sophomore Ruby Lake gained control of the opening face-off and flicked the ball ahead to sophomore Seven Tudor, who netted the game’s very first shot.
Not long after, senior Wesley Young threatened with the second but Chandler was plenty ready and made the save. Less than a minute later, Durango tied the score as sophomore Indie Eaton took a THS turnover and raced end-to-end to mark with 9:47 to go in the first quarter – which ended 2-2 after senior Jordan Meininger cashed an assist from freshman Lucinda Wilson with 0:01 left.
Durango then went up 3-2 via senior Sofia Naffziger’s close-range finish with 11:39 remaining in the second quarter, but after Paczosa robbed Babcock on DHS’ next try, Telluride (5-7, 4-1) avoided any further damage before halftime – and any more until Bosmans put away a Naffziger setup with 0:51 left in the third quarter, spoiling a slick Neyens poke-check which had interrupted the Demons’ advance.
But Sommers then set up Lake for a badly-needed goal coming five seconds before the buzzer, and giving THS vital momentum to carry into the final frame – something Elliott knew could prove problematic.
“Every time we play Telluride … it’s getting increasingly harder to squeak these wins out,” he said afterward. “And I wouldn’t expect anything less. But my girls proved why we do so much conditioning in practice, so no matter what position we’re at in the game – we’ve played in big games, we’ve played in blowouts, we’ve come back from getting blown out – my girls are real comfortable.”
After Eaton, who’d netted the double-OT winner against Telluride back on March 31, added an insurance goal with only 17 seconds to go, Chandler avenged her shaky start and concluded the contest snaring a last-ditch shot by, ironically, Tudor as time expired.
Having won for the fifth time in seven consecutive games decided by three goals or fewer, DHS will travel to Colorado Springs to face Rampart at 5 p.m. on Friday and Liberty the next morning at 10 a.m. Both nonleague games will be played at District 20 Stadium.
Additionally, DHS will close out regular season play on Saturday, May 3, at Telluride.
“The way our league is shaping up, it looks like that might be for all the marbles,” said Elliott. “And I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
