Four teams entered the University of Northern Colorado’s Jackson Field for the Class 4A boys soccer state semifinals but only two left with their seasons intact: No. 2 Northfield and No. 16 Battle Mountain.
In Wednesday evening’s first game, the Nighthawks took down No. 14 Summit, 1-0, to reach their second consecutive state championship game. The Huskies then followed with a 1-0 win of their own against No. 20 Mullen.
The stage is now set for Northfield and Battle Mountain to battle for the state championship on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Switchbacks Weidner Field in Colorado Springs.
(2) Northfield 1, (14) Summit 0
Just one win now separates the No. 2 Northfield Nighthawks (16-1-1, 7-0 Denver) from their second consecutive state championship, thanks to a 1-0 victory over No. 14 Summit (13-4-2, 6-2-2 Western Slope).
On a chilly evening under the lights at UNC’s Jackson Stadium, Northfield broke the ice in the 25th minute when junior Ren Garfield capitalized on a corner kick. Garfield’s goal was his team-leading 19th of the season and his first of the playoffs.
“It was like a scramble in the box, and I saw that moment and took it, I just tapped it in” Garfield said. “It wasn’t the best goal, but it kind of set the game up for us and it led us to win the game.”
The Nighthawks had several other first-half shots on goal, too, but Summit goalkeeper Abdoul Kane held strong.
From start to finish, Northfield’s defense and sophomore goalkeeper Zander Kosmas, who secured his 12thshoutout, limited Summit scoring opportunities. The Tigers’ scoreless 80 minutes was a first for them this year.
Northfield head coach Jason Keever said that with last season’s state title still fresh, his Nighthawks have benefited from maintaining an even keel.
“They’re a really humble group,” Keever said. “They truly haven’t approached any match like they’ve already wanted. They’ve gone in every game knowing that they’ve still got work to do and I think that’s how we’ve managed to continue on the way we have.”
Now with wins over Erie, Skyline, Niwot and Summit, Northfield faces Battle Mountain on Saturday for the state title.
“We’re going to be ready, we’ll have a game plan,” Keever said. “I’m proud of them and we’ll get back at it tomorrow. We’ve got three days left in our season.”
(16) Battle Mountain 1, (20) Mullen 0
Much like the evening’s first game, scoring came at a premium for both Mullen (13-4-2, 3-2-2 Centennial) and Battle Mountain (13-4-2, 6-2-2 Western Slope) in the semifinal nightcap.
Neither team could score in regulation, and it took just over seven overtime minutes for Battle Mountain’s Alexis Dozal to say enough. Dozal worked a breakaway and with just the goalie to beat, he put just enough velocity on his kick to secure the golden goal, sending the Huskies into elation and into Saturday’s state championship game against Northfield.
One year after losing to Mullen in the same semifinal matchup, Dozal’s Huskies got even.
“It’s a crazy feeling,” Dozal said. “We lost to the same team, same place. A lot of the boys came out to support so just to get that goal in for them and for all the fans, everyone at home, it was just amazing.”
Battle Mountain head coach David Cope credited his team’s physicality for keeping Mullen off the scoreboard despite several strong scoring opportunities.
“I was proud of our guys and the improvement that we showed from year to year and week to week this year,” Cope said. “We’re built a little bit differently than we have been in the past. We’ve always been technical and really good with the ball but now we’re just a little bit more physically tough, and that made a big difference.”
With every passing minute, the game became more physical as the offensive frustration mounted; Mullen was yellow-carded twice and Battle Mountain was yellow-carded once in the span of five minutes midway through the second period. None of that yielded any scoring, though. Battle Mountain’s defense was even able to sustain an 8-2 corner kick disadvantage.
The Huskies from Edwards are now tasked with knocking off the defending state champs on Saturday in Colorado Springs.