Just two girls lacrosse teams from Aurora schools made it to the state playoffs in 2015 and ended up playing each other.
At the end of strong seasons, Grandview and Regis Jesuit met up in the opening round as the No. 17 and No. 16 seeds, respectively, with the Raiders prevailing to move into the second round before losing to Cherry Creek.
A number of players from both talented squads and an assortment of others make up the 2015 Aurora Sentinel All-City Girls Lacrosse Team, as selected by the Sentinel in conjunction with voting of city coaches.
Grandview and Regis Jesuit met twice during the season and coach Billy Corbett’s Raiders prevailed both times, winning 18-11 during the regular season and 18-10 in the postseason. Regis Jesuit built off the win over Grandview and very nearly turned the state tournament upside down with their performance against Cherry Creek. The Raiders hung with the top-seeded Bruins all the way until the final minutes in a 13-11 loss.
The straw that stirred everything for Regis Jesuit was junior midfielder Kathleen Roe, who seemed to be all over the field for the Raiders in every game.
Voted as the Continental League Player of the Year, Roe racked up 68 points by way of 50 goals and 18 assists. She contributed in defensive ways as well, as she averaged 3.2 ground balls per game and received credit for 45 interceptions in 15 games.
On the attack, junior Mathison Davis played her way onto the All-Continental League second team with a campaign that saw her finish with 27 goals and eight assists, while sophomore Mackenzie Reifsnider (26 goals, 10 assists) continued to improve and set an aggressive tone playing alongside Roe in the midfield. Reifsnider also contributed effectively on draws.
Defensively, senior Nina Kelley received All-Continental League first team accolades for the way she played (second on the team in groundballs) and how she set the tone for the team’s younger players, including sophomore goalie Kate Macdonald.
A position player last year, Macdonald moved into the nets and got better in every single game in Corbett’s estimation. She made 123 saves on the season and allowed 9.8 goals per game.
Coach Kevin Mortimer’s Grandview team reloaded after losing a lot to graduation, yet didn’t drop off and managed to finish with nearly an identical record.
Along the way, the Wolves played a very close game in Centennial League play against Arapahoe — a team that usually beat them in lopsided fashion — in a two-goal loss early in the season.
Senior Taylor Ansel piled up 39 goals on the season on the attack to nearly double her total from last season. She added six assists and nearly two groundballs per game as Centennial League coaches recognized her with first team all-league honors. Ansel is headed to play at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee.
Junior Maddy Marshall, also a first team all-league performer also had a monster all-around season for the Wolves. She finished tied for second on the team with 31 goals and also dished out a team-high 11 assists, while also coming in second in groundballs and contributing on draws.
Fellow junior Morgan Matthews, who made the all-league second team, notched 31 goals — including three in the playoff loss to Regis Jesuit — and added eight assists for the Wolves while playing roles both on the attack and in the midfield.
Grandview’s defense improved this season, with juniors Estefania Beltran Del Rio and Olivia Fiocchi playing their way onto the All-Centennial League first team. Beltran Del Rio paced the team with 2.6 groundballs per game and played a strong physical game, while the active Fiocchi came up with 2.1 groundballs per game as well.
Smoky Hill improved its won-loss record this season and the development of sophomore Kodi Paules helped tremendously.
Paules notched 10 goals as a freshman but rocketed her totals up to 32 goals and 14 assists, both team highs, while she also played a key role on draws to earn selection onto the All-Centennial League first team.
Versatile Cherokee Trail senior Lexi Ortt earned her second All-City first team berth with another outstanding season for the Cougars. She piled up 39 goals and 26 assists, building on a strong junior campaign and earned herself a scholarship to play at Grand Canyon University in Arizona.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
2015 AURORA SENTINEL ALL-CITY GIRLS LACROSSE TEAM
FIRST TEAM — Attack: Taylor Ansel, Grandview, sr.; Mathison Davis, Regis Jesuit, jr.; Morgan Matthews, Grandview, jr.; Lexi Ortt, Cherokee Trail, sr.; Midfield: Maddy Marshall, Grandview, jr.; Kodi Paules, Smoky Hill, soph.; Mackenzie Reifsnider, Regis Jesuit, soph.; Kathleen Roe, Regis Jesuit, jr.; Defense: Estefania Beltran Del Rio, Grandview, jr.; Olivia Fiocchi, Grandview, jr.; Nina Kelley, Regis Jesuit, sr.; Goalie: Kate Macdonald, Regis Jesuit, soph.
SECOND TEAM — Attack: Brooke Dibiase, Regis Jesuit, jr.; Samoane Emecheta, Eaglecrest, soph.; Julia Kamlet, Smoky Hill, sr.; Asia Khat, Rangeview, jr.; Midfield: Amanda Geary, Cherokee Trail, sr.; Kimmy Scherner, Overland, jr.; Katie Schilmoeller, Regis Jesuit, jr.; Selena Tuilaepa, Eaglecrest, soph.; Defense: Emily Abele, Grandview, jr.; Noa Crowley, Regis Jesuit, sr.; Christina Jensen, Cherokee Trail, jr.; Goalie: Cassidy Hoffman, Grandview, jr.
HONORABLE MENTION — Katie Anthony, Smoky Hill, soph. (midfield); Caelynne Blackwell, Grandview, sr. (defense); Libby Boles, Smoky Hill, sr. (midfield); Baylee Candalerie, Cherokee Trail, sr. (goalie); Bri Carroll, Smoky Hill, sr. (attack); Nicole Donnelly, Grandview, sr. (defense); Miriam Escanuela, Rangeview, soph. (goalie); Nikki Garcia, Overland, soph. (goalie); Kelly Holmes, Overland, jr. (midfield); Maddie Magoon, Grandview, sr. (defense); Bri Martinez, Cherokee Trail, jr. (midfield); Megan Matthews, Grandview, fr. (midfield); Emma Mortimer, Grandview, jr. (midfield); Bri Roman, Eaglecrest, jr. (attack); Demi Segura, Grandview, jr. (attack); Katie Sengenberger, Grandview, sr. (attack); Kaylee Sigg, Cherokee Trail, jr. (midfield); Ashley Stevenson, Smoky Hill, jr. (midfield); Bay Vagher, Smoky Hill, sr. (midfield)
