Chatfield’s McKenna Milton (21) fires a shot on goal during the Chargers’ 23-4 victory Thursday at Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood. Chatfield is attempting to win its third straight Jeffco League title this season. (Dennis Pleuss)
LAKEWOOD — Chatfield, two-time defending Jeffco League champion in girls lacrosse, opened conference play Thursday with a statement victory.
The Chargers defeated Wheat Ridge 23-4 at Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood in the league opener for both teams. Clearly, Chatfield has no intention of handing off its conference trophy anytime soon.
“League is really important for us to win. We want to have the three-peat,” Chatfield senior Kendra Lanuza said after her seven-goal, five-assist performance. “That’s our main goal and focus.”
The focus was definitely there early for the Chargers. Kendra and her younger sister Jen combined to score Chatfield’s first five goals in the first three minutes of the game to put the Chargers in control early. The Lanuza sisters racked up 10 goals and five assists in the first half.
Chatfield senior Kendra Lanuza (4) gets off a shot in a crowd of Wheat Ridge defenders Thursday during the first half of the Chargers’ 23-4 victory. Kendra and her younger sister Jen combined for 13 goals in the Jeffco League opener at Trailblazer Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss)
“They (Lanuza sisters) are definitely leaders on the field. They have been great for us,” Chatfield coach Adam Everett said of Kendra and Jen, who have both started on varsity since they were freshmen. “They are the offensive weapons we need.”
Jen Lanuza, a junior, finished with six goals and two assists against Wheat Ridge.
“We really rely on each other down on attack because we trust each other,” Kendra said of her sister. “We have been playing together for a long time and we’ve got that chemistry.”
Seniors Summer Stafford and Brielle Rumsey each contributed three goals each for the Chargers. Freshman Riley Leischner had two goals. Ellie Cassel and Tess Albert closed out the scoring with one tally each for Chatfield.
Chatfield (4-4, 1-0 in Jeffco) has four losses already this season, but three were close games against ThunderRidge, Arapahoe and Cherry Creek. All of which are ranked in the top-10 of the CHSAANow.com girls lacrosse poll.
“I’m glad we played those tough non-league games, but those were tough. Against (Colorado Academy) we just didn’t show up,” Everett said of Chatfield’s 18-3 loss Tuesday to top-ranked Colorado Academy. “It was a bad game for us.”
Chatfield advanced to the state semifinals last year before suffering its lone loss of the season to eventual state champion Air Academy. Kendra Lanuza had three goals and a pair of assists in the 22-8 semifinal loss to the Kadets.
The University of Denver-bound midfielder has already surpassed the 200-career goal mark. She currently has 228 goals and 97 assists during her stellar career.
While the Chargers graduated several key components from last year’s 17-1 squad, a third-straight Jeffco League title is still a reachable goal.
“We set our goal on going through the league undefeated,” Everett said. “I think the league is tougher than it has been in the past. We need to respect all our league opponents because pretty much anybody can beat us.”
Chatfield returns to Trailblazer Stadium for a conference game against Green Mountain at 4 p.m. on April 7.
Wheat Ridge senior Ryann Pierce was a bright spot for the Farmers. Pierce had a hand in all four of Wheat Ridge’s goals with three tallies and an assist on senior Amanda Malecki’s goal.
Wheat Ridge faces rival Golden at 7 p.m. on April 9, at Trailblazer Stadium.
Chatfield senior Kendra Lanuza (4) gets off a shot in a crowd of Wheat Ridge defenders Thursday during the first half of the Chargers’ 23-4 victory. Kendra and her younger sister Jen combined for 13 goals in the Jeffco League opener at Trailblazer Stadium. (Dennis Pleuss)