Greeley — The University of Northern Colorado’s Jackson Stadium played host to a pair of thrilling 4A girls soccer state semifinal games on Thursday.
Game one featured an overtime battle that was won 1-0 by No. 7 Northfield over No. 3 Durango. In the nightcap, No. 1 Windsor’s strong second half helped the Wizards beat No. 4 Palmer Ridge by a score of 2-1.
The state championship game between Northfield and Windsor is set for Tuesday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
(7) Northfield 1, (3) Durango 0 (OT)
After 80 minutes of scoreless soccer in regulation, it took just two minutes and 25 seconds for freshman Ariah Velasquez to deliver the winning strike for No. 7 Northfield.
Velasquez’s heroics were matched by fellow freshman and goalkeeper Chloe Rhodes, who held No. 3 Durango scoreless in the 1-0 win. The Nighthawks (18-0-1, 10-0 5A/4A Denver Prep) are now headed to their first state championship game in just the program’s third complete season.
“I’m so thrilled,” Velasquez said. “We worked so hard for this, and we just want to win it all.”
Second-year Nighthawks head coach Daniel Nestor said he had been talking with Velasquez about stepping up in big situations. A state semifinal overtime certainly fits the bill for a large moment, and the rookie forward met the challenge with her team-leading 28th goal of the season.
“She’s such a raw talent,” Nestor said. “She’s been an incredible addition to our squad this year. Obviously, she’s a freshman and she’s racked up quite a few goals. We’ve been talking to her about the pressure moments and stepping up in the big-time game and what better time to deliver than in the semifinals.”
Nestor added that after falling in the first round of last season’s playoffs, the expectations were a little higher in 2022.
“Last year it was really just setting up the framework for where we’re at,” Nestor said. “We were excited about last year — the playoffs was good for us. This year, moving on is the goal.”
Durango fell to 16-3 on the season as the Demons now look ahead to 2023.
(1) Windsor 2, (4) Palmer Ridge 1
The No. 1 seed moves on.
A cool, calm and collected top-seeded Windsor team scored a pair of second half goals to top the No. 4 Palmer Ridge Bears 2-1 in a windy 4A state semifinals matchup. One season after falling in the 2021 quarterfinals, the Wizards are now one win away from history.
It didn’t come easy for the Wizards, however. Down 1-0 late, Windsor scored on a corner kick and a penalty kick in the final 17 minutes.
“Championship teams are made up about a whole bunch of things, family and love, but there’s also that just that little it factor to them,” said Windsor head coach Mike Lordemann. “This group has that it factor or for sure. There’s just something special about this group.”
Palmer Ridge junior Makenna Enga had scored just two goals on the season prior to Thursday’s state semifinal matchup with No. 1 Windsor. Her third goal of the year was by far her biggest. With 10:34 left in the first half, Enga took advantage of a chaotic box to give the Bears a relatively early 1-0 lead.
In the second half, Windsor came out with an aggressive offensive attack. A physical game throughout, the Wizards were given multiple free kicks, but couldn’t get any to find the back end of the net. It wasn’t until 16:53 remained in regulation when Wizards junior Abiha Randel scored the game-tying goal on a corner kick.
Then, with 6:57 remaining, Wizards junior Abby Bush scored the go-ahead goal on a penalty kick.
“We work on PKs every day in practice,” Bush said. “It’s never the same as a game, but working on it just helps, and having my teammates behind me and trusting me to take that is super awesome.”
The Wizards, who won the 4A title in 2018, began their 2022 run with a 10-1 win over Skyview. They followed that up with a 3-0 rout of Grand Junction in the second round and a narrow 2-1 victory over Air Academy in the quarterfinals. Northfield comes next.
Palmer Ridge ended its strong season at 15-3-1.