DENVER • Cheyenne Mountain senior center Vivian Snider’s high school career had just come to a close in a 20-9 loss to Denver East.

But neither that reality nor the cold rain that fell throughout Friday night’s first-round girls’ lacrosse playoff game seemed to have dampened her spirits.

Despite the loss, the Indians’ campaign was a success. Cheyenne Mountain posted an 11-5 record against the most challenging schedule in program history and finished the regular season on an eight-game winning streak.

On Friday, the Indians played right with Denver East — the tournament’s second seed — for most of the first half.

“I feel like this last game was kind of the culmination of all the hard work we’ve put in,” said Snider, who scored a game-high five goals with one assist. “I think that’s the best game we’ve ever played together as a team, even though the numbers might show otherwise.”

Denver East scored on its first five shots to take a 5-0 lead less than 4 minutes into the game. But Cheyenne Mountain responded with a 5-1 run. The Indians trailed 11-8 after Snider’s goal with 6:31 left, but Denver East closed the first half on a 4-0 run and pulled away after halftime.

“I think we’ve got the skills to hang with this team, to hang with Air Academy,” Cheyenne Mountain coach Heather Enos said “It’s just putting the final pieces together. … I think we’re a team to watch out for next year.”

Liberty’s Renee Seaman, far right, joined her team in the huddle before Friday night’s game against Pine Creek at District 20 Stadium. Photo by KEVIN KRECK, THE GAZETTE