Standley Lake and Evergreen played to a scoreless draw on April 7 at the North Area Athletic Complex, ending Evergreen’s perfect record in the Class 4A/3A Jeffco League this season.
The result is significant for Standley Lake, which had not beaten or tied Evergreen since its last win over the Cougars in 2018. The Gators, now with a record of four wins, two losses, and two draws (1-2-2 in league), broke a six-game losing streak against Evergreen during which they were outscored by a combined total of 17-2.
“They have had a hard time believing that they are good enough,” Standley Lake coach Stephan Tallman said about his team. “When you get beaten by the same clubs over and over and over, but it is starting to trickle in a little bit.” Tallman added, “They are starting to believe. We were close against Green Mountain and against Dakota Ridge last week. We haven’t beaten any of those teams since I’ve been here. A win would have been nice, but it’s nice to know that we can compete.”
Evergreen remains atop the conference standings with four wins, one loss, and three draws (4-0-1 league). The Cougars still have league games left against Dakota Ridge, Golden, D’Evelyn, Wheat Ridge and Conifer. After recording their third tie of the season, Evergreen coach Peter Jeans said: “We didn’t play with enough thought. They are sound defensively and we weren’t patient enough. We kept on going for the home run. We needed to hit more singles. We need to trust each other more and connect our passes to produce better scoring chances.”
Both teams’ defenses stood out during the match. Standley Lake sophomore goalkeeper Kinsley Palmer recorded her fifth shutout of the season while Evergreen junior goalie Avery Mahnken helped keep another clean sheet for her team—Evergreen has only allowed four goals all year.
Looking ahead, Evergreen will face Dakota Ridge next at Lakewood Memorial Field on Friday while Standley Lake travels for a non-league game against Steamboat Springs.
