LAKEWOOD — It was defintely a statement victory on the girls soccer pitch Tuesday night at Lakewood Memorial Field.
Arvada West methodically dismantled Columbine with a 6-1 victory in the Class 5A Jeffco League opener for both teams. The Wildcats (6-1, 1-0 in league) dominated possession and scoring chances against the Rebels, No. 3 in the CHSAANow.com rankings.
“It’s huge. I’m so happy right now,” Arvada West senior captain Ellie Pugliese said after the Wildcats handed Columbine (6-1, 0-1) its first loss of the season.
The Wildcats scored six unanswered goals scoring in the 13th, 34th, 47th, 55th, 67th and 74th minutes to take a commanding 6-0 lead against Columbine that was off to its best start in decades.
Junior Kalli Ross got the scoring started with a deflection that got past Columbine freshman goalie Ella Rieben for a 1-0 lead for A-West. The margin doubled with a great shot from sophomore striker Isabella Teran a few minutes before halftime.
“The girls played really well. I was really impressed with them,” A-West coach Brian Fowkes said. “We got stun by Lutheran a little bit. I think that helped us pull somethings together.”
The Wildcats suffered their first loss of the season last Saturday with a 3-1 loss to Lutheran, No. 4 in the 4A rankings.
It was more of the same in the second half with Pugliese scoring back-to-back goals. The senior bent a corner kick into the net to put A-West up 3-0.
“I honestly didn’t mean to do it,” Pugliese said of hooking her corner kick into the net. “She (Rieben) had kind of fumbled one before so I tried it again. It just went in.”
Pugliese scored again ripping a shot into the back of the net for a 4-0 lead. Junior striker Brooke Pavlich made it a 5-0 lead when she drew a yellow card and penalty kick in the 67th minute. Pavlick took the PK and rolled it into the net.
“I was so happy when I saw that one go in,” Pugliese said of Pavlich’s penalty kick. “That’s Brooke. She just keeps trying. She is the hardest worker on our team I think.”
Senior Sophia Jaskolka-Brown made it a 6-0 lead in the 74th minute.
“I didn’t know we could put up that number (six goals), but I defintely thought we could win,” Pugliese said. “Once we saw one (goal) go in we could feel them come. We thought we could totally do this.”
Columbine prevented the shutout with a goal by senior Sydney Somers in the 77th minute. The Rebels were still without leading scorer — senior Andrea Iljkic — who is with the Croatia national team for a few more days.
“I didn’t feel very comfortable,” Fowkes admitted despite the Wildcats never trailing. “I was nervous because a team like Columbine can come back at any time. They are a quality team.”
Columbine has another important conference game Friday at the North Area Athletic Complex. The Rebels face No. 8 Ralston Valley at 5 p.m. at the NAAC.
A-West is back at Lakewood Memorial Field at the end of the week to square off against Chatfield in another 5A Jeffco League match.
“We need to walk into that game just like we did here. Ready to play,” Pugliese said of facing Chatfield at Lakewood Memorial Field on Friday. “We are trying to prove something to everyone. Everyone underestimates us. We just have to keep on going.”
Fowkes is in his first season as the head coach for the Wildcats and has A-West in the conversation for a conference title.
“I hope we have a nice run this season,” Fowkes said. “I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”