Anya Gersoff seeks final chapter in prolific Cherry Creek lacrosse career

Nothing comes easily, regardless of how easily Anya Gersoff appears to make things every time she steps foot upon the field of competition.

Gersoff, the dual-sport star from Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colo.) who excels at field hockey as a goalie and in lacrosse as a prolific scorer, repeatedly makes her opponents look foolish with almost frightening ease, whether she is attacking the net in one sport or defending it in the other.

As if those twin passions were not enough to turn heads, Gersoff will continue competing in both sports while earning her degree at a not-too-shabby educational institution, Princeton. To outside observers it seems like a charmed life. Gersoff, however, is never in danger of forgetting the sort of hard work and dedication required to compete at an elite level, not only in the classroom, but in two different sports as well.

"I don't know if anything comes naturally when you get to this level," said Gersoff, who was selected as one of the top 25 lacrosse players nationally by MaxPreps. "I don't think you get to this level without a lot of hard work."

The daughter of a former high school lacrosse player from Rhode Island, Gersoff first tried her hand at lacrosse in second grade and gave field hockey a shot about six years later. In field hockey, Gersoff earned All-Colorado honors from The Denver Post last fall while backstopping the Bruins' run into the state tournament. Two summers ago, she also received the prestigious honor of manning the goal for the U.S. under-17 national field hockey team.

While Gersoff has proven stingy in the net in field hockey, she is downright greedy when it comes to attacking the net on the lacrosse pitch. As a junior last season, Gersoff ranked third in the state with 84 goals, trailing only teammate Bailey Zerr and Centaurus standout Emma Lazaroff, a club teammate of Gersoff's on Team 180.

Last summer, Gersoff was one of the leaders of a Colorado all-star squad that won its division at the U.S. Lacrosse Women's National Tournament. She has amassed 112 goals going into her senior season, yet while those boggling numbers leap of the page, her passion for both lacrosse and field hockey is a big reason why Gersoff will be packing her bags for Princeton.

"When it came to my recruiting process, one of the big things for me was that I wanted to be able to play field hockey and lacrosse," said Gersoff, who collected eight goals in Cherry Creek's season-opening 23-2 win against Grandview on Wednesday. "(Princeton) provided the best opportunity to do that."

First and foremost on Gersoff's list of goals as the final months of her high school career tick away is the desire to lead the Bruins to a third consecutive state title. While Gersoff is the biggest offensive threat for Cherry Creek, she hardly is the only big-time talent on the Bruins roster. Cherry Creek features four other seniors who will continue playing at the next level, including goalie Cassidy Chaney (Navy), Elsie Humes (Denison) and twins Mara Bandt-Law and Bryn Bandt-Law (Claremont McKenna).

"We always are aware of the need of instilling a foundation of skills in the way we do things," Cherry Creek coach Dee Cryer said. "We certainly have a lot of talent, but we try not to make it about any one person. I think that's what will get us back to the state championship game."