With graduation season fast approaching, the Roaring Fork Rams girls sports programs closed out their spring campaigns with strong playoff performances, each advancing past the first round before falling to top-tier opponents. 

Both the girls soccer and lacrosse teams earned convincing wins in their first round 2025 CHSAA state playoff matchups, but their postseason runs ended in the second round against higher-seeded teams.

“It means a lot to represent Carbondale this deep into the season, especially alongside the lacrosse team,” Rams girls soccer head coach Nicole Cruz said. “We’ve had a strong league these last couple years, and seeing our valley teams succeed helps show the rest of the state just how competitive rural programs can be.” 

The No. 19 Roaring Fork soccer team traveled to the Four Corners region, routing No. 14 Montezuma-Cortez on Thursday 8-2. The No. 7 Rams girls lacrosse got an extra few days to rest after they secured a first round bye. They hosted the No. 10 Mullen Mustangs on Thursday, holding them to just four goals in a 12-4 victory 

“This is the first bye in the history of the program,” Roaring Fork girls lacrosse head coach Drew Kitchell said. “I’ve been with some of these girls since they were in fourth or fifth grade, so to see them find success at this level is very special.”

Girls lacrosse

The Roaring Fork Rams girls lacrosse team has consistently been one of the top squads from the Western Slope since its inception in 2018. The program has never experienced a season in which the girls have finished with a winning percentage under .500. The Rams notched a program-best 12 wins this season, dropping only five games.

The successful regular season resulted in the only first-round bye that the Roaring Fork Rams girls lacrosse team has ever experienced. Kitchell saw the accomplishment as not only a result of all their hard work, but a chance to be refreshed before their first round playoff matchup against the Mullen Mustangs. 

“We are very excited for our first bye in the program’s history,” he said ahead of the playoffs. “We are taking advantage of the extra planning and rest time, and we have earned the right to play our first round game at home.”

Roaring Fork’s defense proved too much for Mullen, holding the Mustangs to just four goals in a dominant second-round performance. Senior goalkeeper Ella Gunning, who posted a .614 save percentage this season — third-best in the state — anchored the back line.

“Holding them to only four goals says a lot about our defense, and specifically our goalie,” Kitchell said. 

But in the battle of the Rams on Saturday, Roaring Fork couldn’t slow down No. 2 Green Mountain, falling 20-7 on the road in Lakewood.

“They are a perennial powerhouse,” Kitchell said before the game. “We are going to have our hands full, but I have been so proud watching these girls grow up and turn into the players and people they are today.”

Girls soccer

The Roaring Fork Rams girls soccer team started strong in 2025, Dropping only three of their first 11 games, setting themselves up well for their tough second-half schedule. 

“This team has stayed motivated all season, even when things didn’t go our way. We had some tough losses and those moments became learning opportunities,” Cruz said. “We made it a priority to maintain a high level of intensity at practice and be mentally present every day. That consistency to learn from every drill and every rep has made a difference.”

Back-to-back 3-0 home victories over familiar foes Coal Ridge Aspen late in the season helped the Rams clinch a spot in the 2025 CHSAA 3A state playoffs. 

They carried that momentum into the first round, dominating the Montezuma-Cortez Panthers 8-2 in southwestern Colorado. But in the second round on Saturday, the Rams met another team of Panthers — this time, No. 3 Delta — and suffered a season-ending 6–0 loss at Delta Middle School.

“I’m so proud of these girls—not just for the results but for how they’ve grown together,” Cruz said.