Northfield upsets Battle Mountain in 4A girls lacrosse state quarterfinals

The story of the 2024 Battle Mountain girls lacrosse season deserved a fairy tale ending. One where post-game tears are joyous, not sad. Where the final huddle is formed around a trophy — not goodbyes.

“Not how we wanted it to end, but that’s sports,” Huskies head coach Mat Ballay said after Saturday’s 21-14 home loss to Northfield ended his team’s season in the 4A state quarterfinals. Despite the disappointing defeat, Ballay and the rest of his team — who put together a perfect 14-0 regular season — held their heads high.

“At the beginning, we were really down on ourselves,” said Murphy Werner, who led the Huskies with six goals in the loss. “And then at the end, it really showed who we are as a team and how we can unite.”

“It was a great season,” Ballay continued. “I was pretty proud of how we finished that game.”

Trailing 12-7 with 8:20 remaining in the third quarter, Izzy Adochio breathed life into the Huskies with her third score of the game. Fourteen seconds later, Molly Kessenich stole the ball and dished it to Werner, who converted to make it a three-point contest. Werner scored five times in the second half.

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“I was like, just get it in the goal,” the sophomore said. “If nobody’s going to step up, then I have to step up — that was my mindset.”

Northfield freshman Sadie Cormier responded two minutes later, scoring off a second-chance opportunity after Roxy Surridge’s initial save. Cormier and her older sister, University of Oregon commit Reilly Cormier — who scored 97 goals this season — gave the Huskies fits the entire afternoon.

“Growing up together, this is the only year they’ll get to play on the same team and I think they connect so well,” Northfield head coach Maxine Bartholomew said of her dynamic duo. “They know where each other are on the field without having to look up.”

The Huskies, however, translated the Nighthawks’ tired legs into transition goals late in the period. Werner and fellow sophomore Addie O’Connor made it 14-11 heading into the fourth.

“And then you start to believe when you cut down that lead,” Ballay said.

Battle Mountain’s spirited play continued for the first six minutes of the final quarter, but the Cormier pair prevented the gap from narrowing beyond three. Plus, an abundance of calls had the Huskies playing a man down for almost 15 minutes straight.

“That’s pretty difficult, but (our girls) did a good job of making it close there for a bit,” Ballay said in praising his team’s resilience. “They just kept fighting all the way to the end. I admire that. That’s what you want to see: no one quit, competing to the end.”

Werner cut things to 16-13 with 8:19 to go, but Sadie Cormier shut the door with three scores over the next six minutes. Her sister nailed the final dagger to make it 21-14 in the final minute. With the win, Northfield — which only went 7-10 last year — advances to face No. 2 Evergreen in the state semifinals on Wednesday. Bartholomew said her team thrives on surprising people.

“I think it’s been a common theme going into the season,” she said. “I think it was a big motivator being an underdog (today).”

Reflecting on the game as a whole, Werner said the positivity from her coaches on the sidelines “carried the team through the game.” Looking ahead, the sophomore said she’s excited to welcome a new crop of freshmen into the Battle Mountain lacrosse family next spring.

“I want to be how older girls were for me and just have that impact,” she said. Werner said she most looked up to Kessenich — who set the program scoring record earlier this season.

“She’s been my idol since freshmen year,” Werner said. “She’s amazing — 200 goals — I want to be the new Molly Kessenich and carry it on for her.” 

The Huskies finished the year as back-to-back Western Slope champions with a perfect 10-0 league mark. Their final overall record was 15-1. 

“I think everyone is probably pretty emotional right now … we’re proud of them,” Ballay said. “They had a great year. It was a good season.”