Los Alamos girls lacrosse closes second season with strong finish

Los Alamos girls lacrosse ended its second season with a 12-9 victory over Santa Fe Turquoise Thunder, and the final quarter showed how quickly the program is taking hold on the Hill. With an all-senior lineup on the field for that closing stretch, Los Alamos scored five unanswered goals to turn a tight game into a statement win.

The result mattered beyond the scoreboard. The club listed 17 players from eighth through 12th grade this spring, and nearly half were brand new to lacrosse. For a sport that is still small in New Mexico, that kind of mix points to a program still in its building phase, but gaining traction one player at a time.

Girls lacrosse remains a developing high school sport statewide, with only four teams at this level: Los Alamos, Duke City Scorpions, Santa Fe Prep and Santa Fe Turquoise Thunder. That limited landscape makes every roster spot meaningful, and it also makes Los Alamos’ progress more notable. The team had to start practices late because of field availability, yet still managed to finish the season strong and stay competitive against more established opponents.

Coach Matt Ballen said another coach praised how fast and well-conditioned the Los Alamos players were, a sign that the club’s conditioning and commitment have begun to match its ambition. That matters in a sport built on speed, stick work and repetition, especially when practice time is squeezed by field access.

The program itself is designed as an entry point. Launched in spring 2025 as a new junior varsity opportunity, Los Alamos girls lacrosse is open to players of all skill levels, including beginners, and runs from March through May as a no-tryout club sport. That structure has helped draw in athletes who might not otherwise have tried lacrosse, while giving the school a chance to build toward a deeper, more stable pipeline.

That pipeline already reaches below the high school level. Los Alamos Youth Lacrosse has fielded youth teams and taken part in Santa Fe-area jamborees, giving the girls program a feeder system and a local base of players who can grow into the high school roster. Earlier coverage also identified Dara Jones Field at Overlook Park in White Rock as the home field for practices and games, rooting the sport in a recognizable community space.

For now, the second-season finish shows a program that is still young but moving in the right direction. With more players, more field time and continued support from the youth ranks, Los Alamos girls lacrosse is building something that could become a lasting part of LAHS athletics.