View and download more photos from the State Championship.
Sometimes, people who are superb at what they do make it look like it’s really not that hard.
But have no doubt—winning one Girls Lacrosse State Championship is not easy. Winning seven straight State Championships can only be achieved with years of hard work, practice, focus, conditioning, physical and mental discipline, courage, and determination to succeed.
“I am happy and proud,” says Head Coach Laura Sandbloom. “This is the first full-length season we have had in a while because of COVID-19, and we were challenged throughout the season. It required a lot of hard work from our girls and coaching staff, so this championship feels particularly sweet.”
As the 2022 Colorado Academy Girls Lacrosse Team brings home the State Championship for the seventh year in a row, write the names of the team and their coaches in the history books:
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First half
In a repeat of last year’s State Championship game, CA again faced Valor Christian High School. Sophomore Zoe Martin did not waste any time getting CA on the scoreboard. The game had not yet hit 40 seconds when she scored for CA. Minutes later, Sophomore Vivian Leuthold added to the tally. And in her final game for CA, Senior Maya Kendall, who will play Division I lacrosse for Dartmouth College next year, added a third goal for CA.
The team continued to score on many possessions, putting CA in the lead at half-time with a score of 7-3.
Kendall was consistently excellent on the draw. CA’s fast-moving and tireless defense threw Valor Christian off their system. And CA’s goalie, Junior Olivia Aguirre, stopped numerous aggressive attacks throughout the game.
Second half
Valor Christian started the second period as fast as CA had started the first, scoring at 33 seconds. But within the next minute, Colpack found the back of the net, and the CA team never looked back. By the end of the game, multiple players had scored multiple goals: Colpack (3 goals), Kendall (1 goal), Leuthold (3 goals), Martin (3 goals), Skylar May (1 goal), and Addy Smith (2 goals).
Valor Christian made a late-game surge, but CA triumphed 13-9, its 25th consecutive post-season win. This was Coach Laura Sandbloom’s final game at CA, as she prepares to move closer to family in the Midwest. She celebrated on the field with her one-year-old, who was born just weeks after last year’s State Championship win.
Sandbloom has been part of all seven State Championships, first as an assistant coach and then as head coach. She has brought a culture of joy and healthy competition to CA’s Girls Lacrosse program, with an emphasis on maintaining decorum and inspiring young women to be ambassadors for the sport.
“At the beginning of the playoffs, we put the word “Together” on our sticks,” Sandbloom says. “This is what I always preach. They play for each other, and I am so grateful for their hard work and for valuing team over self in their pursuit of something greater than themselves.”
So if you ever start thinking, “How hard could it be to win seven straight State Championships?” remember this—every girls lacrosse team in the state would also like to make history by ending CA’s streak. But on Sunday, May 22, 2022, the dynasty continued, adding one more win to the storied history of the CA Girls Lacrosse Team.