Durango girls lacrosse suffers first loss of season

Demons drop home contest to Grand Junction, 13-9

Mar. 29, 2026 at 12:27am

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting a girls lacrosse game in motion, with overlapping planes of green, blue, and orange representing the players, ball, and field.Durango's first loss of the season reveals the challenges of maintaining composure and discipline on the lacrosse field.Durango Today

The Durango High School girls lacrosse team suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday, falling 13-9 at home against Grand Junction. The Tigers dominated possession and built an 8-goal lead by halftime, but Durango fought back in the second half led by a 7-goal performance from freshman Janelle Dingler. However, the Demons' comeback attempt was hampered by three players being disqualified due to yellow cards, and they ultimately came up short.

Why it matters

Durango had been undefeated so far this season, making this their first loss. The game highlighted the team's struggles with discipline and foul trouble, which will be an area of focus as they look to bounce back and secure their first 5A win of the year.

The details

Grand Junction came out aggressive, controlling possession and finding open looks around the Durango goal to build a 9-1 halftime lead. The Demons responded in the second half, led by a 7-goal performance from freshman Janelle Dingler, but they had three players disqualified with two yellow cards each, making their comeback attempt too little too late.

  • The game was played on Saturday, March 29, 2026.
  • Durango dropped to 4-1 overall and 3-1 in the 4A Mountain West League with the loss.
  • Grand Junction improved to 1-5 overall and 1-2 in the 4A Mountain West League with the win.

The players

Janelle Dingler

A freshman on the Durango High School girls lacrosse team who led the Demons with 7 goals in the loss.

Indie Eaton

A junior on the Durango High School girls lacrosse team who scored 2 goals and had 1 assist in the loss.

Jody Holden

The junior goalie for the Durango High School girls lacrosse team who finished with 7 saves.

Scarlett Roberts

A player for the Grand Junction High School girls lacrosse team who scored 4 goals in the win.

Eric Elliot

The head coach of the Durango High School girls lacrosse team.

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What they’re saying

“We're never going to give up. We played the entire second half down at least one person because of too many cards … half of the fourth quarter, we were down three people. To score goals down three people, it says a lot about my kids.”

— Eric Elliot, Durango Head Coach

“She put it on her shoulders. I couldn't be happier with her performance. She played well beyond her freshman classification, that's for sure.”

— Eric Elliot, Durango Head Coach

What’s next

The Demons will look to bounce back on Friday, April 4th when they travel to take on Legend High School.

The takeaway

This loss highlights the importance of discipline and avoiding foul trouble for the Durango girls lacrosse team as they look to secure their first 5A win of the season. The team's resilience in fighting back despite being short-handed is a positive sign, but they'll need to clean up their play to regain their undefeated form.