AURORA | It took two halves, two sudden death overtime sessions, two fields and a shootout, but the Regis Jesuit field hockey team finally came away with the program’s first postseason victory Thursday.
Coach Spencer Wagner’s second seeded Raiders snapped a string of five straight first round playoff losses with a shootout victory over No. 7 Kent Denver in a game that got started at Laber Field and later moved up under the lights at Lou Kellogg Stadium.
Senior Mia Geoly scored in the shootout and senior goalie Claire Stemper shut out the Sun Devils in the shootout as Regis Jesuit advanced to a semifinal contest on Oct. 28 where it will face either sixth-seeded Denver East or No. 3 Cherry Creek. The Angels and Bruins are set to play their quarterfinal at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Regis Jesuit and Kent Denver met twice in the regular season and played two scoreless overtime affairs, so goals figured to be at a premium when the teams were pitted against each other in the playoffs.
Senior Ally Moran broke the scoreless streak between the teams with a first half goal for the Raiders, but the Sun Devils managed to get the equalizer in the second half.
Note: Half of the semifinal field has been decided, as top-seeded Colorado Academy posted a 3-0 win over Smoky Hill on Friday. The Mustangs will play either fifth-seeded Golden or fourth-seeded Palmer Ridge, who play on Saturday.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
REGIS JESUIT 1, KENT DENVER 1 (REGIS WINS IN SHOOTOUT)
Score by halves:
Kent Denver 0 1 0 (0) — 1
Regis Jesuit 1 0 0 (1) — 1
Regis Jesuit goals: Ally Moran, Mia Geoly (shootout). Regis Jesuit saves: Claire Stemper (9 shots on goal-8 saves).