COMMERCE CITY — Cheyenne Mountain beat Broomfield 2-0 to win the Class 4A girls soccer championship on Wednesday.
Category: Girls Soccer
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Lightning delays 5A girls soccer title game
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com) COMMERCE CITY — The Class 5A girls soccer championship game, already postponed a day, has been delayed Wednesday night.
With lightning in the area of Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, kickoff of the game between Ralston Valley and Columbine has been pushed back to roughly 6:15 p.m. Lightning remained in the area until 5:30 p.m.
The area within a six-mile radius of the stadium has to be free of lightning strikes for 30 minutes before players are allowed to enter the playing surface. They will then have 10 minutes to finish their warmup.
Thursday’s storm has also brought a pretty decent amount of rain, so when the game does kick off, it will be a soggy affair.
The 5A championship game was scheduled to start at 5 p.m. Thursday. It was originally slated for 7 p.m. Wednesday, but a hailstorm pushed back the 4A game ahead of it to 7 p.m., and so the 5A game was moved to Thursday to avoid starting after 9 p.m.
Further updates will be announced on CHSAANow.com, as well as CHSAA’s social media accounts.
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Oberg’s goal holds up as Colorado Academy wins 3A girls soccer
More photos. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com) COMMERCE CITY — Colorado Academy girls soccer star Alex Oberg, a midfielder, had redemption on her mind Tuesday night in the Class 3A state championship match at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
Oberg, a senior, nearly scored a potential game-winning goal during a 1-1 semifinal round match against The Classical Academy last season. The Mustangs lost that game 2-1 in overtime. TCA was the state runner-up.
Oberg’s shot skimmed over the crossbar as a junior. Senior year in a rematch against The Classical Academy, Oberg was all net with the game’s only goal, giving Colorado Academy a 1-0 victory and the 3A crown for the first time since 2003.
More photos. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com) After a scoreless first half where both teams played rugged defense and neither took advantage of some limited opportunities, Oberg broke the scoreless tie. The midfielder scored with 35 minutes remaining in the second half.
“It was a beautiful cross from Sarah Masinter, our outside mid, and it was right at my feet, right in front of the goal,” Oberg said of her state championship-winning goal. “I had no one on me. I accidentally hit it into the defender first and it deflected into the right place and I got it into the back of the net.”
“She has come up really big for this team in the last two games,” Colorado Academy coach Sean Stedeford said of Oberg. “She had two goals in the semis and then the game she had tonight. As a senior, I’m sure she’s overly happy right now.”
Oberg’s strike gave the Mustangs the advantage, but the one goal lead never felt safe as the Titans controlled possession late and had several good looks at an equalizer.
Ultra-talented freshman Hannah Burgo, TCA’s leading scorer on the season with 21 goals and 47 points — 13 more than anyone else — displayed fancy footwork throughout. Burgo, a speedy forward with great ball skill, created scoring opportunities for her teammates with moves and some gorgeous crosses.
During one opportunity, Burgo launched the ball from near the right sideline with a hard strike. Her cross dropped in the middle of the field, but her teammates weren’t able to control it enough for a good shot. A few minutes before that, Burgo placed a nifty pass through two defenders to midfielder Bonnie Buzzetta, but Mustang goalie MacKenzie Timbell corralled the shot.
Both teams displayed crisp passing, tough defense, and solid goalie play, but Colorado Academy seized their moment.
The Mustangs were ecstatic to finally be the state champions after coming so close in recent years. They were eliminated in the semis in 2013 and were the runner-up in 2012 to Peak to Peak. Oberg felt she had unfinished business after her missed goal last season and after losing on the same field in the title match as a sophomore.
“That was heartbreaking,” Oberg said of finishing second. “It was great to redeem myself and come back and win it. I had playing here on my mind since then and it was wonderful to come back and finally win it my senior year.”
More photos. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com) “These girls set that expectation this year as a goal, having come close two years ago and last year losing in the semis,” Stedeford added. “To see them accomplish it, it’s a really proud moment.”
Both player and coach credited Colorado Academy’s first state title since 2003 and third state title overall — they also won in 1999 — to the Mustangs’ unity.
“We were definitely very bonded this year,” Oberg said. “We’re so interconnected and were such good friends and I love these girls on and off the field. It was great playing with them and we wanted to do it for each other.”
“I think we had incredibly strong leadership from our older players,” Stedeford added. “The young girls, we’re actually a very young team with a lot of freshman in the group, kind of came in and said, we’re here to play. From day one, we knew it was going to be a high-level team and we did it.”
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4A girls soccer delayed until 7, 5A moved to Thursday
Dick’s Sporting Goods Park was hammered by hail on Wednesday afternoon. (Courtesy Paul Evans) AURORA — An afternoon hailstorm delayed the Class 4A girls soccer championship game on Wednesday, and postponed the 5A game to Thursday.
The storm dumped about 4 inches of hail and rain on Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, the site of the 4A and 5A title matches in Commerce City. The storm knocked power out to the Park, which stalled field-clearing work — much of which is done by a suction system.
As a result, the 4A game is now scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, with the 5A tilt moved to 5 p.m. Thursday. The 5A game will still be at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
The girls lacrosse championship remains scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the University of Denver. No change has been made for that game.
Further updates, if there are any, will be announced on CHSAANow.com, as well as CHSAA’s social media accounts.
All games are being shown on the NFHS Network.
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com) 
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com) 
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com) -
Photos: Colorado Academy wins 3A girls soccer championship
COMMERCE CITY — Colorado Academy beat The Classical Academy to win the Class 3A girls soccer championship on Tuesday night.
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Columbine blanks defending champs to reach 5A girls soccer title game
Columbine was all smiles as it walked off the field at Englewood High School on Saturday after taking a 2-0 victory over Mountain Vista in the Class 5A girls soccer state semifinal. (Dennis Pleuss) ENGLEWOOD — Columbine didn’t waste time in scoring first Saturday at Englewood High School in the Class 5A girls soccer state semifinal.
Rebels’ leading goal scorer Tatum Barton drew a foul outside Mountain Vista’s goalie box a minute into the first half. Sophomore Kelcey Cavarra wrapped the direct free kick around the Golden Eagles’ wall and into the far corner of the net for an early 1-0 lead.
“It was prefect opportunity. I thought it was five minutes into the game, but it was only a minute in,” Cavarra said. “It gave us great intensity and the lead.”
No. 8-seeded Columbine (16-3) never gave up its early lead. The Rebels went on to a 2-0 victory, earning their seventh trip to a girls’ soccer championship game, and first since 1999.
Columbine sophomore Kelcey Cavarra, left, attempt to block a kick from Mountain Vista sophomore Peyton Joseph on Saturday. The Rebels won 2-0 to advance to the Class 5A girls soccer championship game Wednesday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. (Dennis Pleuss) “You always want to come in and set the tone, especially against the defending state champions (Mountain Vista),” Columbine coach Brian Todd said. “They have a ton of confidence and they’ve earned it. We talked about coming out fast, energetic and organized. We did all of that.”
No. 4-seeded Mountain Vista (15-2-2) had outscored its opponents 14-0 in three postseason games, but couldn’t get one past Columbine junior goalie Sarah Luebking.
“We were a little flat in the first half,” said Mountain Vista coach Theresa Echtermeyer, who guided the Golden Eagles to state titles in 2013, 2011 and 2005. “They (Columbine) had a couple good opportunities, one with that free kick right at the beginning. We got maybe a little bit flustered.”
The Rebels added a second goal against the 5A defending state champions midway through the first half. Freshman Amanda Porter was able to settle a bouncing ball in front of Mountain Vista goalie Christine Ottinger and kicked a one-timer into the back of the net.
“It’s great knowing we could score two goals against Mountain Vista who hasn’t given up a goal all tournament,” said Cavarra who added she believed the 5A Jeffco League champions have been underestimated. “We worked our butts off for this.”
Columbine and Mountain Vista each had just a few scoring opportunities each in the scoreless second half.
Columbine sophomore Breckyn Schmitz (2) and Mountain Vista junior Megan Massey (10) battle for the ball during the second half Saturday at Englewood High School. (Dennis Pleuss) “Columbine had a better day than we did,” Echtermeyer said. “That’s soccer. It happens.”
The Golden Eagles were without one of the top players in the state for the semifinal. Sophomore Mallory Pugh was with the U.S. U-20 women’s national team. Echtermeyer said Pugh gets back into town tomorrow (Sunday).
Echtermeyer coached Green Mountain two a pair of 5A state titles in 1999 and 1997 before starting the program at Mountain Vista, where she also coaches the boys program.
Columbine will attempt to make school history when it plays for the 5A championship game May 21 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The Rebels have never won a girls team title in school history.
The Rebels are loaded with underclassmen, but they are only one win away from that elusive state title.
“We were hoping,” Porter said of making the state title game this year. “With hard work we’ve got here.”
Columbine senior Madison Chapman (9) heads the ball in front of Mountain Vista junior Morgan McDougal (17) and Columbine sophomore Kelcey Cavarra during the second half Saturday at Englewood High School. Cavarra scored on a direct free kick in the opening minute on the way to a 2-0 victory for the Rebels. (Dennis Pleuss) -
St. Mary’s girls soccer advances to state semis with win over Coal Ridge
(Dan Mohrmann) COLORADO SPRINGS – Maleia Lark’s goal with 7:31 left in the first half proved to be the game-winner as No. 3 St. Mary’s beat Coal Ridge 4-1 in the 3A girls soccer playoffs Wednesday night.
But it was Jordan Curley’s shot from about 25 yards out that broke the spirit of the Titans and allowed the Pirates to play ball control offense in the second half as they advanced to Saturday’s semifinals.
“We’ve had some fast starts, but in the last three or four games against quality opponents we’ve had slow starts where we’ve had to counter attack,” St. Mary’s coach Gregg Braha. “I thought for a while it was a little sluggish, we were trying to possess the ball.”
Neither team was able to solidify control early in the match. The Pirates were able to control possession more, but it was Coal Ridge that was creating more opportunities to get on the scoreboard first.
The best chance came when midfielder Paige Ryan turned a steal into a fast break. She passed the ball up to forward Amanda Wenzel who was able to get back to Ryan who was crashing the net. Ryan’s shot was successfully defended by St. Mary’s keeper, Tess Thomas.
After that, neither offense appeared to find a rhythm until the 31st minute when the Pirates were finally able to get into the Titan’s zone and crowd the goal box. Michelle Moure’ took advantage of a rebound that fell right in front of her and drilled home a shot to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead.
“Honestly, it was huge; it was at that point in the game where you had to score just to get some momentum going,” Moure’ said. “It definitely picked up or speed because we got a quick goal from Maleia (shortly) after.”
Less than two minutes after Moure’ broke the 0-0 tie, the Pirates found the goal again as Kylie Cleary found Lark with a crossing pass, allowing her to successfully put the ball past Titans’ keeper Brooke Esgar. With a 2-0 lead, the Pirates appeared to be in cruise control to move on to the state semifinals.
“I told the girls not to react, but to respond and there’s a difference there,” Titans’ coach Micah Herron said. “We got one quick back and for about eight to 10 minutes was our window to close on it.”
The Titans would finally get on the board with some fancy footwork from Ryan. With Coal Ridge on a breakaway Ryan was on the receiving end of a pass that she merely redirected ever so slightly, leaving Thomas off-balance and allowing the ball to get into the net. With just under three and a half minutes left in the first half, Coal Ridge had cut the Pirates lead in half.
But the momentum wouldn’t last long. With time running out in the first half the ball had rolled out of bounds with possession going to the Pirates. Curley threw the ball in and instantly received it back. Without hesitation she took aim at the goal and lofted the ball over Esgar’s head to score with 12.8 seconds left regaining a two-goal lead for St. Mary’s and putting the proverbial nail into the Titans’ coffin.
“I’m going to be honest, I was going for a cross,” Curley said. “I kind of saw the open far-post of the goal and decided to try for it and it went in.”
Emily Loof added one more goal for the Pirates with just under 10 seconds remaining to get the St. Mary’s crowd going and give them the 4-1 win and a berth in the semis. Should they win Saturday, they will play in the 3A state championship game at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Tuesday.
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Green Mountain wins thriller in PKs over Valor Christian in 4A girls soccer quarterfinal
Green Mountain junior Jenn Brunsdon (17) battle for a header with Valor Christian sophomore Amanda Lopez (10) during the Class 4A state quarterfinal Wednesday night at the North Area Athletic Complex. (Dennis Pleuss) ARVADA — Green Mountain girls soccer coach Ken Fehr didn’t dread going into penalty kicks to decide Wednesday night’s Class 4A quarterfinal at the North Area Athletic Complex.
“I always like my chances when we get there (penalty kick). You see why right there,” Fehr said while his Rams celebrated their 4-2 victory in penalty kicks against Valor Christian.
Green Mountain junior Jenn Brunsdon, front, tries to work past Valor Christian junior Kristen Jones on Wednesday night. (Dennis Pleuss) After going scoreless through 110 minutes, Fehr had plenty of confidence in senior goalie Lindsey Hendon. In fact, Fehr had Hendon take the first shot during the kicks from the mark.
“She (Hendon) is probably one of our best PK takers,” Fehr said. “We’ve been practicing those and working on them. I asked who felt comfortable taking one. Five of them stepped up.”
The Rams took a 3-2 advantage in the shootout before Hendon, who extended her career state shutout record to 42, made a diving save on Valor freshman Camryn Dyke. However, the Eagles still had life when Green Mountain junior Mia Dobbin fired her shot just wide.
Green Mountain (15-2-1 record) leaned on Hendon and she delivered making another diving save on the Eagles’ fourth shooter, junior Allison Trizna.
“I’m very confident. I don’t know why, but I feel like it’s the time when I need to step up and be the best I can be,” Hendon said of the shootout. “I don’t have any other option.”
With the opportunity to put the game away, Green Mountain senior MacKenzie Schaller fired a shot past Valor goalie Carsyn Corey for the 4-2 victory in PKs.
“MacKenzie is clutch under pressure,” Fehr said of his senior defender. “She can handle it. She wants the pressure and wanted that last kick. She took it and put it away.”
Schaller, along with defenders Kelli Van Tassel, Cassie Allen and Danielle Lord have been a big part in helping Hendon record 12 shutouts this season.
“I knew I had to be calm and confident. That’s our team motto,” Schaller said of taking the final penalty kick for the Rams. “I knew if I did what I’ve been doing for the last 14 years of my life I’d be able to finish. It worked out.”
Green Mountain senior Christina Makatura (16) fends off Valor Christian senior Janie Camplese (14) during the first half Wednesday night at the North Area Athletic Complex. (Dennis Pleuss) Green Mountain dominated scoring chances throughout the game. The Rams recorded 14 shots on goal and had another few handfuls ring off the cross bar, post or just miss.
The Eagles’ goalie Wednesday actually started the season at defender before moving into net for Valor.
“We’ve gone through five goalkeepers this year,” Valor coach Dan Georgopulos said. “Carsyn has stepped up in several games. You couldn’t ask for anyone better to step up. She gave what she had.”
Another obstacle Valor (11-7) had to overcome was playing a man down after junior Gabby Fleischli received her second yellow with 11 minutes, 11 seconds remaining in the second half. Still, the Eagles had a few scoring chances to end the game before the kicks from the mark.
“(Valor) did everything they needed to do,” Fehr said. “We had some good chances and didn’t finish it. Valor hung around the whole time.”
No. 12-seeded Green Mountain will face top-seeded Cheyenne Mountain (16-0-2) in the 4A semifinals at 11 a.m. Saturday at Sports Authority Stadium in Parker. The Indians edged Evergreen 1-0 in another quarterfinal Wednesday night.
“If we can finish a couple of goals, we are getting chances, I think we’ll be fine,” Fehr said. “It will be a good game.”
It will be the second trip to the state semifinals for the Rams in three years. Green Mountain was the 4A state runner-up in 2012.
Green Mountain junior Jenn Brunsdon (17) and Valor Christian junior Gabby Fleischli (18) go up for a header Wednesday at the North Area Athletic Complex. The Rams advanced to the 4A state semifinals with a 4-2 victory in penalty kicks. (Dennis Pleuss) -
Photos: Green Mountain girls soccer tops Valor Christian in 4A quarters
ARVADA — Green Mountain girls soccer topped Valor Christian in penalty kicks to advance in the Class 4A quarterfinals on Wednesday.
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Ralston Valley upsets Rock Canyon in 5A girls soccer quarterfinals
Ralston Valley players celebrate a goal on Tuesday. More photos. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com) HIGHLANDS RANCH — Rock Canyon girls soccer entered Tuesday as the No. 2 seed in the Class 5A playoffs. It was 16-1, ranked No. 19 in the nation by MaxPreps, and had only lost to another state title favorite, Mountain Vista, this year.
The Jaguars had outscored their opponents 48-6 and weren’t shut out this season.
Ralston Valley, the No. 10 seed, didn’t care about the odds it faced. The Mustangs transformed from the long-shot to the dominant squad with an overpowering 3-0 quarterfinal upset of Rock Canyon at Shea Stadium.
The win sealed Ralston Valley’s first ever semifinal appearance in 5A in the school’s short history.
In a slow-starting, defensive battle early, Brenna Martinez broke through for a deep goal to give Ralston Valley a 1-0 lead with twenty minutes to go in the opening half. The Jaguars’ backline was strong in the first twenty minutes, typical for the Rock Canyon program, but Martinez had a powerful strike.
“We knew that they would pack it in defensively with their style of play,” Ralston Valley coach Kamee Morwood said. “We knew that we would have to take outside shots, so that first one from the outside, we’ve worked on it, we’ve practiced it, and it was almost textbook.”
The Jaguars never seemed to recover after first blood. Ralston Valley’s Emma Musson then opened the floodgates with a fastbreak goal.
More photos. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com) “No one was back and I just saw our defender get the ball and I asked her to just go big,” Musson said. “When it dropped right in front of me, I saw I needed to score. I placed it and we were up two.”
Musson’s speed and foot skills pierced the Rock Canyon defense and the rout was on.
Janelle Feldmann added the third Mustang goal early in the second half and Ralston Valley’s defense did the rest to seal the upset victory.
Goalie Renee Roemer was outstanding in pitching the shutout.
“Renee played awesome,” Morwood said. “She’s been working really hard in our practices, she’s been working with goalie coaches. She has her heart and soul in this team. When she steps on the field, her focus is 100 percent there.
“Defensively, I think we played very strong, so she was able to have a little bit of time on some of the shots. Everything that she’s been working on, she did it perfectly tonight.”
Roemer was quick to credit her Mustang teammates for the performance.
“I think it was our defense tracking back, because at one point during the end of the game, they shifted four people up top,” Roemer said. “It was definitely our defense just staying with their marks, not letting them turn on the ball and hit it.”
Ralston Valley’s execution offensively, defensively and in goal buried last year’s state runner-up.
“We knew we had to come out and play aggressive, play controlled, and keep our composure and we were able to do it,” Morwood said. “We’ve been able to do that all year and win balls out of the air, keep control of it, and find our forwards up front.”
Ralston Valley will look to keep executing, keep playing free, and keep enjoying the ride deep into the 5A playoffs. The Mustangs will face No. 3 seed Pine Creek in the semifinals on Saturday, a team coming off a 1-0 win over Arapahoe in their quarterfinal matchup.
Pine Creek is another state championship favorite, but the Mustangs are a dangerous, confident new contender.
“We haven’t known anything about anyone we’ve played,” Morwood said with a laugh. “We’ve never been here so the pressure is not on our backs. One of our seniors’ favorite quotes is, ‘Play like you love soccer,’ and that’s what they’re doing as a total team.”
No. 4 Mountain Vista is unlike Ralston Valley. They do have pressure. The Golden Eagles are the defending state champions. Vista rose to the occasion in the nightcap at Shea Stadium with a 2-0 victory over No. 5 Fairview to keep their hopes for a second straight title alive.
Mountain Vista will play No. 8 Columbine on Saturday.
Both teams found a way to advance. For Mountain Vista, the win was expected. For Ralston Valley, the 10th-seeded Mustangs announced themselves as a new threat for the 5A crown, one that is embracing the unexpected run.
“It’s unbelievable,” Roemer said of the semifinals appearance. “We’ve never been here as a team before, even as a school in 5A, so it’s just amazing.”
