A shorthanded Durango High School girls lacrosse team battled fatigue at altitude against Summit on Friday.
Leading 8-1 with 7 minutes, 51 seconds remaining in the first half, the Demons (4-8, 2-4 Mountain League) allowed the Summit Tigers (4-7, 2-2 ML) to fight back and tie the game 10-10 in the second half. The game was tied at 11, but Alyssa Swan delivered a game-winning goal with 1:46 remaining in the game to give the Demons a 12-11 road victory.
“Swan had a great game all around. She was all over the place with stellar play,” DHS head coach Jenni Darlow said.
Swan had two goals on two shots. She won eight draw controls, five groundballs and had an interception while causing three other turnovers.
The Demons won 15-of-25 draws, a major improvement from the rest of the season.
DHS seniors Tymbree Hawkins and Jessie Sutherlin each had three goals, and Hawkins added two assists.
Hawkins had a tough game going toe-to-toe with Summit star Kaitlyn Raymond, who scored five goals in the game.
“Raymond is a stellar player with an amazing shot. We gave her a few free-position shots, and she put those away,” Darlow said. “Our whole goal in the second half was to not let her get the ball, and her and Tymbree battled.”
Darlow said fatigue was to blame for her team letting the seven-goal advantage slip away.
“The girls said they felt like the extra bit of altitude in (Frisco) took more out of them. We only had one substitute, and that made it especially tough on midfielders,” Darlow said. “The girls got tired and started taking bad shots, which resulted in turnovers.”
The Demons will host Santa Fe Prep at 3 p.m. Saturday in the penultimate game of their season. Darlow joked her team would have a longer bus ride to the game from Frisco than the Blue Griffins will have from New Mexico. Last Saturday, Santa Fe Prep beat the Demons 11-10 in Santa Fe.
“The girls are excited to get a second chance at them,” Darlow said. “Hopefully we have enough in the tank after the long bus ride to play a good home game.”
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
