Greenwood Village – Kent Denver field hockey coach Kathy James wants her team to play something she dubbed “beautiful hockey.”
The Sun Devils did just that, turning away host Smoky Hill 3-0 in convincing fashion Tuesday night at the Stutler Bowl.
“We still have things to work on, but the key for us is to work on the advanced parts of the game, to play beautiful hockey,” said James, whose Kent Denver team has won five of seven state titles since the sport was sanctioned. “I want to see more finesse play, more of a team effort that we use to produce a good performance.”
As far as Tuesday night’s performance, which pushed Kent Denver to a 5-0 overall record, 4-0 in conference play, James gave her team a score of 8 1/2 out of a possible 10.
“Wow, that’s complimentary coming from her, though I think we should get a 10 every time,” Kent Denver senior Danielle Kachulis said. “All the effort is there and we got a lot of good looks.”
Smoky Hill (3-1, 2-1) generated very little offense. The Buffaloes did not get one clean shot on goal in the game despite five penalty corners.
“I don’t really have too much to say other than Kent is a very good team,” Smoky Hill coach Mike Renes said. “I think (Smoky Hill goalkeeper) Alisha Miyazawa is the best in the state, and the score easily could have been 7-0 if it wasn’t for her.”
Kent Denver scored first in the fourth minute of play when Lauren Woodman fired a shot from the right side of the net into the center. It appeared Kachulis redirected the shot at the last second to beat Miyazawa, but the goal officially was credited to Woodman.
No matter, as Kachulis scored a goal in the 39th minute, beating two Smoky Hill defenders and delivering her shot just before a charging Miyazawa could get a block.
“(Miyazawa) really comes on hard on those breakaways. She has a great sense of the game awareness,” said Kachulis, who will play lacrosse at Duke University.
Remi Dikeou scored the second goal for Kent Denver, pushing in a loose ball from the left side of the net.
Kent Denver 2 1 – 3
Smoky Hill 0 0 – 0
Goals – Woodman (unassisted), fourth minute; Dikeou (unassisted), 26th; Kachulis (unassisted), 39th. Shots on goal – Kent Denver 2-3 – 5; Smoky Hill 0-0 – 0. Saves – Kent Denver (Bacon) 0-0 – 0; Smoky Hill (Miyazawa) 0-2 – 2. Penalty corners – Kent Denver 1-10 – 11; Smoky Hill 3-2 – 5.
