Greenwood Village – Even as the score continued to grow, surprisingly, more and more lopsided, Cherry Creek girls lacrosse coach Cayel Dwyer had his mind focused on the big picture. And he didn’t let his team forget it.
The Bruins, No. 2 in The Denver Post/9News preseason poll, dominated No. 4 Smoky Hill 18-4 in a Centennial League game Thursday night at the Stutler Bowl.
Perrie White, Catie Tilton and Lexi Sanders scored four goals apiece, and Rachael Zimmerman finished with three goals and four assists.
Dwyer liked the outcome, but no goal was more important than the team philosophy. Just ask White, who was called to the bench for not running the designed play despite making the score 6-0 on her unassisted goal.
When White reached the sideline, Dwyer said, “If you are not going to run the play, you can stand by me.”
White did stand by her coach, unhappily, before returning to action, but the lesson was learned.
“There is no excuse,” White said. “I should always listen to the coach, but I thought I had the shot and I took it.”
Said Dwyer: “Obviously she scored the goal. It’s an OK problem to have, but all I know is that if we are going to be successful, we are going to do it as a team.”
Cherry Creek, state champions in 2003 and 2004, improved to 4-3 and 2-0, while Smoky Hill dropped its first game of the season to make the Buffaloes 5-1, 1-1.
In what was expected to be a close contest, Cherry Creek dictated the action from the get-go. The Bruins controlled 18 of the first 21 draws and put 29 shots on goal compared with the Buffaloes’ 12.
Smoky Hill managed just three offensive possessions and four shots on goal in the first half. Cherry Creek scored on its first five shots of the second half, but the Buffaloes finally made something work.
Kristi Irgens finished with two goals and an assist, and Amber Lister and Cortney Brooks scored a goal each.
“We had our moments of greatness, but we are a better team than we displayed out there. … You can’t do anything when (Cherry Creek) is right in your face,” Smoky Hill coach Billy Corbett said.
Corbett pointed to the play of goalkeeper Chelsea Wagner, who stopped 11 shots, as one of the bright spots.
Smoky Hill 0 4 – 4
Cherry Creek 9 9 – 18
Goals – Irgens, Brooks, Lister; White 4, Tilton 4, Sanders 4, Zimmerman 3, Johnson 2, Brentlinger.
Assists – Irgens; Zimmerman 4, White 3, K. McLaughlin, Hart, Sanders, L. McLaughlin.
Shots on goal – SH: 4-8 – 12; CC: 18-11 – 29. Saves – SH (Wagner): 9-2 – 11; CC (Gold): 4-4 – 8. Yellow card – Lister.
