ARVADA — You never know when practicing left-footed volleys from the top of the goalie box will pay off.
It paid off big time for Arvada West senior Ashlyn Craig on Tuesday night at the North Area Athletic Complex. A-West junior Ellie Pugliese took the corner kick in the 13th minute and placed it right where Craig wanted it at the top of the goalie box without a Wheat Ridge defender close by.
“Me and my friend (Chaylee Nicole Rodriguez) will go out and train on crosses,” Craig said of the eventual game-winning goal in a 4-1 girls soccer non-league victory for A-West over Wheat Ridge. “I took it with my left foot. I honestly didn’t think I’d make it, but after all those practices I was able to bend it down perfectly.”
Rodriguez was the first Wildcat player to give Craig a big hug in celebration after the best looking goal of the night.
“That was awesome,” A-West coach Troy Gette said of Craig’s goal that put the Wildcats up 2-0 early on. “It is definitely one of our runs that we do on our set plays.”
A-West (2-1 record) got off to a good start with freshman Alina Noga flipping in a goal past Wheat Ridge goalie Ariel Martin in the 3rd minute in cold and rainy conditions at the NAAC.
“We got after them early,” Gette said. “That was kind of our goal to come out and get a quick start. You never know that the weather is going to do.”
Wheat Ridge (2-1) — ranked No. 9 in this week’s CHSAANow.com Class 4A girls soccer poll — did answer in the 15th minute with a goal by junior Sadie Powers. However, Rodriguez put in a goal of her own in the 38th minute to put the Wildcats back up by two goals.
“That was a situation where it was a few minutes before the half and the wind started to pick up,” Wheat Ridge coach Dan Watkins said of Rodriguez’s goal late in the first half. “We turned off for just a second and they made a great play stepping to the ball first. It was definitely an uphill battle being down two at the break.”
The rain began to pick up after junior Payton Reed made it a 4-1 lead for the Wildcats in the 49th minute. A-West was able to control of the midfield for the rest of the game to get its first victory after spring break.
“We have been pushing each other hard to get ready for those big games against Ralston Valley, Valor and Chatfield,” Craig said of getting ready for Class 5A Jeffco League play that begins in two weeks. “This was a good win for us.”
A-West is back at NAAC in less than 24 hours. The Wildcats face another 4A Jeffco foe in Golden at 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 30.
“We are battling through a lot of injuries,” Gette said. “We are still waiting for three girls coming back from ACL (injuries) last year and already lost one to an ACL this year. I’m very happy with the group that we’ve got. It’s the most talent I’ve had in a long time, that’s for sure. We should be good.”
It was the first loss of the season for the Farmers after wins against Doherty and Denver North.
“We’ve got great kids who are working extremely hard,” Watkins said. “We are building and growing to make our team better as the season goes on. We’ll learn from tonight and move forward. We’ll make sure we are ready for league play.”
The 4A Jeffco League looks loaded as usual. Evergreen — defending 4A Jeffco League champion and 4A state runner-up last season — is currently ranked No. 1 in 4A. Wheat Ridge faces Skyview on Thursday, March 31, at NAAC before opening conference play against rival Golden on Monday, April 4, at NAAC.