Last year, the Durango High School girls lacrosse program won its first league title in program history, and in the process, the Demons went from the hunters to the hunted.
Durango begins the 2026 season on Friday as champions of the 4A Mountain West League after it finished with an 11-4 overall record and a 6-2 record in league play in 2025, with the 11 wins the most in program history. The Demons dominated the first round of the playoffs before their season ended in the second round at Aspen. Durango returns some key contributors, but will also rely on some less proven players to keep its league title.
“I feel pretty good ... the first couple games of the season is going to be trying to figure out where everybody fits the best,” Durango girls lacrosse head coach Eric Elliot said. “It might look a little untraditional this year ... by the end of the season, we’re going to be a pretty talented team. We did the hard part last year... this is the fun year; we get to defend it.”
The Demons lost a lot of production from last year’s offense. Silvie Bosmans led the team with 41 points on 35 goals and six assists. Bosmans was also the Demons’ main option on draws and did a great job getting the Demons possession. She was first team all-league last season. Sofia Naffziger was second on the team in points with 27 goals and 10 assists. Naffziger was a great scorer around the crease, using her strength and height to get good positioning.
With all that departing talent, the Demons will rely on three returners. The first is senior Taylor Babcock, who finished her junior season third on the team with 32 points from 28 goals and four assists. She had nine games with multiple goals. Elliot said Babcock has really improved her left hand, her offhand, and Elliot has always liked Babcock’s attitude as an attacker. She has a chance to be another career 100-point scorer for the Demons.
“You can really cook a defender just by switching hands,” Elliot said. “Everybody plays defense so ball-side heavy that if you're a threat to sweat switch hands, it really opens up your opportunity. She's gotten really good with her left hand, so that's really her biggest progression.”
The other top returners on offense are juniors Indie Eaton and Teagan Frausto. Eaton had 21 goals and seven assists last year, and Frausto wasn’t too far behind with 20 goals and six assists. Elliot has been impressed with Eaton, Frausto and Babcock’s non-verbal communication on the field. They’ve been playing together for years now, and Elliot expects it’ll yield good results in games.
Frausto has also been working on her left hand. Eaton, usually one of the smallest players on the field, doesn’t play like it with her hockey background and her speed.
The biggest loss for the program might be goalie Fiona Chandler. A multiyear starter for the Demons, she bailed out the Demons’ defense with great saves throughout the season and did a good job distributing the ball from inside and outside the crease. Chandler also earned first team all-league last season after finishing with a 0.571 save percentage.
Luckily for Elliot and the Demons, there’s a goalie on the 2026 roster with some experience. Junior Jody Holden will start in goal for the Demons. She gained some valuable experience last season as Chandler’s backup. There were some games where Chandler just wasn’t seeing the ball, and Holden came in to steady the ship. She finished with 14 saves and a 0.519 save percentage.
“Jody's a little less active in the net than Fiona is in terms of jumping out and grabbing those bad passes when an attacker is passing too close to the crease ... once we get a game or two under Jody’s belt, we’re going to see that aspect of Jody’s game take off,” Elliot said.
He’s happy to see how much Holden has improved on her clears, which is a huge part of the game. Along with Holden, the Durango defense will be led by seniors Scarlett Ramsey and Laurel Dondlinger. Elliot has seen his two senior defenders do a great job leading their teammates in practice.
One new player to the squad who should make an impact is freshman Janelle Dingler. She’s a player who has great conditioning from her cross-country skiing background and has good stick skills.
The Demons will continue to push the pace, according to Elliot, with Durango playing aggressive and using its strong conditioning to wear down its opponents using its fast-break attack.
Other than Durango, there are a lot of questions in the 4A Mountain West League with Telluride and Fruita Monument having new coaches. Regardless, the Demons expect to compete for a league title again and have a strong season, beginning on the road at Legend on Friday.
“We have everything we need to continue the trajectory of our program,” Elliot said.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
