Golden Eagles working way back into Colorado field hockey state mix

When Melissa Rausch took the reins of the Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) field hockey program last year, the Golden Eagles had fallen on some hard times.

Just five years removed from a state championship, Mountain Vista had not made the postseason since 2012 and had won a combined eight games over two seasons. A four-win season last fall may not have seemed like a step in the right direction, but what that campaign did was lay the groundwork for better things to come.

"The girls for the last couple of years have thought of Mountain Vista as just Mountain Vista, just field hockey," said Rausch, who along with assistant Ali Giavonnone began the work to change that. "We wanted to get them back to the mindset of the Mountain Vista program that was back in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

"We really worked on building that confidence level in the girls, and they've done an excellent job of believing in themselves and each other."

Headed into Wednesday's regular-season finale against fourth-ranked Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village), the Golden Eagles are trending upward. Mountain Vista (9-3-1) has been especially tough over the previous five games and is holding onto the sixth spot in the RPI with the postseason coming up fast.

That doesn't really do it justice – the field hockey playoffs are more like a blur. The first round is scheduled to be completed by Saturday, with the semifinals Oct. 25 at All-City Stadium and the championship game taking place Oct. 27.

The top eight teams qualify, with unbeaten Kent Denver (Cherry Hills Village) (12-0-2) in the top spot, followed by Palmer Ridge (Colorado Springs). Colorado Academy (Denver), winners of the previous four state titles, is currently third, with Denver East and Cherry Creek not far behind.

Mountain Vista is sitting sixth. The team's three losses came to squads ahead of them, but in each contest the Golden Eagles were missing some players. Against Kent Denver, Mountain Vista limited the Sun Devils to one score in a 1-0 loss Sept. 24, and the team knotted up Denver East 1-1 most recently Oct. 5.

Rausch said it's all about playing at the highest level late in the season.

"The first couple games of the season of course matter in a 15-game season, but I'm not coaching you to win game 1 and 2," Rausch said. "They're starting to peak at the right time."

Senior Maddie Belcher is tied for second in the state in points (34) and is second in goals scored (12). Her 10 assists are also tied for fourth overall. Only Palmer Ridge senior Emily Munn also ranks in the top five in goals and assists.

"She's just a little ball of energy. She hits the field every day with a smile," Rausch said. "She just has this confidence where she's getting the ball in the back of the net, and she knows if she is not in position, she's going to get the ball where it needs to be in order to get the ball in the back of the net."

Juniors Logan Derosia (seven goals, four assists) and Isabella Guerrero (six and five) have also been key cogs in the team's offense. Senior goalie Jordan Moilanen has allowed only four goals over the previous five games.

"She has just owned it," Rausch said. "She comes to practice every day wanting to get better. She has no fear."

Rausch knows that once the postseason gets going, Mountain Vista is going to see those upper echelon teams again. She said her players welcome the challenge and are thrilled to be back in the mix.

"It seems to be consistent with the top seven or eight teams. To be able to crack that and break into that is pretty outstanding," she said. "It speaks volumes to how much the girls have worked over the last year-and-a-half."

Regis Jesuit was sitting in seventh place in the RPI, just behind Mountain Vista. St. Mary's Academy (Englewood) had the eighth spot and may have all but cemented that position with a victory over ninth-place Golden on Tuesday.