CHSAANow

Category: Boys Soccer

  • No. 26 Centaurus boys soccer pulls off another upset in the 4A tourney

    Centaurus Discovery Canyon boys soccer
    (Derek Lee/CHSAANow.com)

    COLORADO SPRINGS — A winning goal can come can at any time during a soccer game, whether it’s the first or last minute of the game.

    For the No. 26-seeded Centaurus Warriors, it came in the last thirty seconds of their Class 4A boys soccer second round game.

    Senior Christian Nunez led Centaurus past No. 10 Discovery Canyon with goals in the 53rd and 80th minutes. The setup for both goals were extremely similar as Nunez dribbled past multiple defenders before launching a bullet past the goalkeeper. The Warriors won, 2-1.

    “Since the beginning, we knew it was going to be a tough game and we just put everything out there,” said Nunez.

    After Nunez gave Centaurus the lead, Discovery Canyon answered back in the 74th minute, off of a header from junior Hunter Lindell.

    Minutes later, Nunez stunned the crowd with his second of the night.

    Centaurus Discovery Canyon boys soccer
    (Derek Lee/CHSAANow.com)

    “We scored a goal and we got motivated, and we let them have one,” said Nunez. “We kept our heads up and kept going for it and we had one at the end.”

    “He is a special talent,” said Warriors head coach Lee Stanley. “He has ball skills (and) vision that you don’t really see much in high school kids. He has vision beyond his years (and) he can hold onto the ball under pressure from several players.

    “He is absolutely a special talent and we haven’t seen a player like him in years.”

    Centaurus dominated possession early for most of the first half but failed to get on the scoresheet.

    Centaurus goalkeeper Parker Sanchez and Discovery Canyon goalkeeper Seth Lawrence matched each other save for save as Sanchez had a spectacular sprawling save off a Thunder free kick while Lawrence had a great save on a 1-on-1 chance minutes later.

    “I think we actually possessed better in the first half,” said Stanley. “We changed and became a little bit more direct during the second half instead of working the ball as much through the midfield. We tried to back off the defenders by being a little more direct.”

    Discovery Canyon had a chance to take the lead in the 67th minute when they were awarded a penalty kick, but the shot went off the crossbar before going out of bounds.

    “We scored with thirty seconds left on the clock and Discovery Canyon had a goal scored five minutes before that,” said Stanley. “If we put our heads down and feel sorry for ourselves from that goal, it could have gone the other way but (we fought) hard until the end and (got) it with thirty seconds left.”

    “(We) didn’t want to go to overtime,” said Nunez. “We’ve been in overtime in other situations (and) hasn’t gone right. (We) had to end it whenever we had the chance to and that’s what we did.”

    Centaurus Discovery Canyon boys soccer
    (Derek Lee/CHSAANow.com)

  • No. 8 Lewis-Palmer tops No. 9 Pueblo Centennial to advance to 4A boys soccer quarterfinals

    Lewis-Palmer Pueblo Centennial boys soccer
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    MONUMENT — Prior to 2019, Lewis-Palmer boys soccer coach Brian Barkey had only seen his team advance past the first round of the Class 4A boys soccer tournament once.

    With a win in over Mesa Ridge last week, Barkey happy to see the Rangers’ second trip into the second round under his watch. Tuesday against Pueblo Centennial, he was looking for a first-time achievement.

    His boys delivered with a 2-0 win over the Bulldogs. Their reward is a trip to the mountains on Saturday to face No. 1 Battle Mountain to face No. 1 Battle Mountain.

    “We challenged them in April,” Barkey said. “We asked them what they wanted to talk about in 10 years about this team. And they said that they wanted to make history.”

    But in order to make history, they had to follow through with that goal on the field. Centennial had been ranked as the No. 1 team in the 4A CHSAANow.com coaches poll at one point, meaning that even as the No. 9 seed, it was common knowledge that the team was capable of coming away with a win.

    That’s why it was so important for the Rangers (14-3) to strike first. An L-P corner kick in the 21st minute yielded no result, but it was the Bulldogs (12-5) who knocked the ball out past the goal line, giving the Rangers another shot.

    And they saw something. The second chance ricocheted off the post and several feet before it shot past Centennial keeper Jesse Chavez and into the net. It was Tanner Kilgore taking the bow when all was said and done.

    “we hit it high (on the first one) and the keeper kept punching it,” Kilgore said. “So we line drived it lower and then it hit the post and then (we) hit it.”

    On the opposite end of the field, it was a welcome sight to see for keeper Aidan McGonagle. But he didn’t have a lot of time to enjoy it. The Bulldogs pressed offensively and tried to create their own scoring opportunities.

    A free kick from about 35 yards out didn’t amount to anything, but a shot shortly after forced McGonagle to dive to his left side, fearful that the shot was good.

    It sailed wide right, but it was an indication that Centennial was going to stay aggressive in the offensive end.

    Lewis-Palmer Pueblo Centennial boys soccer
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    But the defenders held their ground and each time the Bulldogs looked to be on the verge of firing off a shot, the Rangers knocked it away or deflected it from its intended target.

    “Our back line is a straight brotherhood,” McGonagle “We don’t fall apart. We always come together to secure a win. Even when our offense isn’t coming into play, we always know we have each other’s backs.”

    He quickly noted that after the first goal, he knew the Rangers all but had the game in the bag.

    “All we need is one goal,” he said. “One goal secures a win.”

    He believes that can be the case on Saturday as well. Battle Mountain beat Montrose 1-0 earlier in the day so any hope of getting to semifinals at Legacy Stadium in Aurora means a successful trip to Vail has to come first.

    But if there is one thing that the Rangers are not, it’s afraid of the number one that precedes the Huskies on the bracket.

    “I know them very well and it’s not a problem,” Barkey said. “We’re confident.”

    Lewis-Palmer Pueblo Centennial boys soccer
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

  • Photos: No. 26 Centaurus boys soccer tops No. 10 Discovery Canyon in 4A second round

    Centaurus boys soccer advanced to the Class 4A boys soccer quarterfinals after beating Discovery Canyon 2-1 on Tuesday.

  • Photos: Colorado Academy beats DSST: Byers in Round 2 of 3A boys soccer tourney

    Colorado Academy boys soccer beat DSST: Byers 2-1 in the second round of the Class 3A tournament on Tuesday.

  • No. 27 Mullen boys soccer ends Alameda’s dream season

    Mullen sophomore Eli Kerschen (14) celebrates his goal in the 5th minute Saturday afternoon with teammates Cole Dempsey (8) and Kyle Cooper (10) at Lakewood Memorial Field. More photos. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    LAKEWOOD — All good things must come to an end.

    That was the case Saturday afternoon at Lakewood Memorial Field. Alameda International’s boys soccer team had a historical season setting a program record with 14 victories and grabbing the No. 6 seed for the Class 4A state tournament.

    However, No. 27 Mullen spoiled any kind of long postseason run for the Pirates. The Mustangs (9-6-1 record) took a 2-0 victory to end the storybook season for Alameda.

    Alameda senior Jared Mojica (6) looks to settle the ball to his feet during the Pirates’ first-round state playoff game against Mullen. More photos. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Mullen scored a pair of goals in the opening 20 minutes to take a 2-0 lead. Sophomore Eli Kerschen put the first goal five minutes into the game.

    “That was our game plan … strike early,” Kerschen said. “Once you do that you can kind of have that relief and really not worrying about scoring again. It puts the other team under pressure.”

    Junior AJ Gamueda made it a 2-goal lead in the 17th minute and that was all the scoring in the first-round playoff game.

    “Unfortunately, it was two mistakes that cost us the game, but it’s a learning process,” Alameda coach Cesar Alcocer said. “Everyone is young and this is my third year coaching. I’ve got a lot to learn from this game.”

    Mullen is set to hit the round again to face No. 11 Denver North on Tuesday, Nov. 4. The Mustangs were the lowest seed — 27th — to advance to the second round of the tournament.

    Alameda junior Jose Martinez (7) works in the corner against Mullen sophomore Cody Muir (3) on Saturday afternoon at Lakewood Memorial Field. More photos.

    It’s a bit of a curse and blessing that Mullen plays in the tough 5A/4A Centennial League before the start of the 4A state tournament.

    “The problem is we play some really good 5A teams and we get a bad seed for the 4A tournament, but ultimately it prepares us for the 4A state tournament,” Kerschen said of the Mustangs, who went 3-3-1 in conference play. “I think playing in the 5A league helps us.”

    For Alcocer, a 2009 graduate of Alameda, guiding the Pirates (14-2) to their first postseason bid since 2015 and setting the school record for wins in a single season are just a few of the many accomplishments during the historic season.

    “I’m really proud of how far they made it. All the sacrifices they made throughout the entire season. It’s just a learning process,” Alcocer said after his team broke its post-game huddle after the loss by saying, ‘family’ in unison. “I’m really blessed to be here and to be apart of this. We’ll keep working hard.”

    Alameda graduates double-digit seniors, but will still have a solid core coming back that includes the Pirates’ top three leading goal scorers — Jose Martinez, Eduardo Rodriguez and Adrian Diaz — returning for their senior season.

    Find a photo gallery from the game here.

    Mullen freshman Ethan Lehman (11) clears the ball away from Alameda senior Alisdaid Ovalle (10) during the Class 4A boys soccer playoff game Saturday at Lakewood Memorial Field. More photos. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • No. 8 Lewis-Palmer boys soccer cruises past No. 25 Mesa Ridge in 4A’s Round 1

    Lewis-Palmer Mesa Ridge boys soccer
    (Derek Lee/CHSAANow.com)

    The No. 8 Lewis-Palmer Rangers faced off against No. 25 Mesa Ridge Grizzlies in the first round of the Class 4A boys soccer state tournament.

    Though the Grizzlies took an early 1-0 lead, it was the Rangers who came up on top, erasing two deficits and scoring three unanswered goals in the second half to win 5-2.

    Mesa Ridge wasn’t getting much into the final third early on, but a header from junior JJ Dickerson in the 15th–minute gave the Grizzlies their first lead of the game.

    “Just working on set pieces and keeping it to the outside (were our goals),” said Grizzlies head coach Mario Sigala. “(We were) trying to penetrate them. They’re a tough defense so they came out the better team today.”

    Mesa Ridge almost doubled their lead in the 27th minute when Rangers goalie Aidan McGonagle mistimed his punch on a cross. However, Lewis-Palmer was able to clear and ended up scoring on the counterattack via junior Charles Holland. Though Lewis-Palmer continue to threaten, the score was tied 1-1 at the half.

    “They’re a very good team, Mesa Ridge is,” said Rangers head coach Brian Barkey. “They were very good, and they challenged us to do the things that we’ve been trying to do well over the season. What I spoke to the team at halftime about is ‘Can we just keep things simple?’ ‘Can we do the things that we’ve been doing all along successfully like defending well?’ because I feel like we were defensively a little bit disorganized in the first half. We missed a few early on and that tends to instill a little bit of panic in the tam and so we tried to just maintain calm.”

    The game opened up a bit in the second half with both teams looking to take the lead. Mesa Ridge was able to take advantage in the 43rd minute, with senior Caleb DesBouillons running behind the defense and volleying home a high ball from senior Dorrien Hill.

    As Lewis-Palmer pushed for an equalizer, Mesa Ridge’s goalkeeper, senior Kyle Costra, stood tall. Costra had 13 saves at the final whistle.

    “Their goalkeeper is superb,” said Barkey. “The center of their team is superb. (DesBouillons) constantly moving and running posed challenges for us because we were a little bit disorganized.”

    Lewis-Palmer was able to find an equalizer in the 59th minute, with Holland scoring his second of the game. Less than a minute later, junior Ethan Mann would give the Grizzlies the lead.

    Senior Tyler Davis added another goal in the 67th minute and senior Nate Jeffson gave the Grizzlies some insurance with a goal of his own in the 73rd minute.

    “I’m really proud of the team for being resilient,” said Barkey. “You look at the body language when teams go down, their body language changes and there were probably a few moments of that but then they got it together so (I’m) really proud of that aspect.”

    “We broke down defensively,” said Sigala. “We weren’t tracking the runners and so it was one of those things where defensively when you do that, they’re going to penetrate you and that’s what happened.”

  • Photos: No. 10 Ridgway boys soccer knocks off No. 7 Lotus in 2A’s first round

    Tenth-seeded Ridgway boys soccer knocked off No. 7 Lotus School for Excellence on Saturday, 5-1.

  • No. 4 Arvada West boys soccer advances to 2nd round of 5A state tournament

    ARVADA — Arvada West’s boys soccer team is back in familiar territory.

    A 3-1 victory over Gateway on a bitterly cold late Friday afternoon at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada sent the No. 4-seeded Wildcats into the second round of the Class 5A state tournament for the second straight season.

    Arvada West junior Gabe Schultz (12) collides with Gateway junior Victor Carbajal during the Class 5A playoff opener Friday at NAAC. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Last season, A-West defeated Poudre 2-1 in overtime in its playoff opener. The Wildcats’ season came to an end with a 1-0 second-round loss to eventual state champion Arapahoe.

    “I’m very excited,” Johnston said of getting to host No. 13 Rocky Mountain back at NAAC on Wednesday, Nov. 6. “I know a lot of teams have struggled with them. It will be a very good game for sure.”

    The Lobos defeated No. 20 Aurora Central in overtime with a 2-1 victory late Friday afternoon in Fort Collins. A-West and Rocky Mountain actually faced each other in an early season non-league game. The Wildcats took a 4-1 victory.

    “We played them earlier this season, but both of our teams are different at this point in the season,” A-West coach Troy Gette said. “I think we’re all right.”

    Arvada West’s leading scorer — Johnston — was key in the Wildcats advancing to the second round. He scored his 16th and 17th goals on the season in the opening half against No. 29 Gateway.

    Arvada West senior Judah Johnston leaps over Gateway senior Jose Vazquez during the first half Friday at the North Area Athletic Complex. Johnston scored a pair of first-half goals in the playoff opener. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Johnston fired a shot past Gateway goalie Jesus Ascencio with an Olympian defender hanging on him in the 7th minute.

    A-West (14-2 record) extended its lead to 2-0 in the 15th minute after a centering pass from senior Zack Marcolina found Johnston in front of the net for an easy tap-in goal.

    Things did get a little dicey in the final 10 minutes of the first half. First, Johnston went down with an injury in the 31st minute of the first half.

    “A kid kicked my foot just before I was about to plant,” Johnston said of the injury that had him miss the final minutes of the first half. “I pretty much stepped on the side of my foot and rolled my ankle. At first I had a little doubt if I would come back in, but after getting it taped up and the trainer clearing me after seeing me run. It felt pretty good running on it.

    With Johnston on the bench, Gateway (10-6) got back into the mix with a late first-half goal by senior Winston Franco del Cid in the 34th minute to make it a 2-1 game at halftime.

    Arvada West senior Zack Marcolina (11) and Gateway sophomore Diego Ocampo (7) wait for a ball to settle during the opening half Friday at NAAC. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    A-West had several scoring opportunities in the second half, but couldn’t find the back of the net until the 76th minute. Sophomore Caleb Patterson’s goal sealed the victory.

    “Of course it was good,” Gette said of Patterson’s late goal. “In a cold and sloppy game with a bad bounce anything can happen. I did feel pretty comfortable the whole game.”

    Junior goalie Jacoby Landskov was sold in net for the final 40 minutes to preserve the victory and shut out Gateway in the second half.

    “He (Landskov) has grown into the roll very well,” Gette said of the first-year starting goalie for the Wildcats. “I think he gets better every game. I think the boys and coaching staff has a ton of confidence in him.”

    Gette added that he felt A-West could have put several more into the back of the net. Johnston agreed.

    “No excuses,” Johnston said about miss firing on a few scoring chances himself that prevented him from getting his first hat-trick of the season. “It was disappointing, but in the end we won. That’s all that matters.”

    Arvada West junior Noah Kanagy (13) advances the ball up the first during the opening half Friday at the NAAC. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • Photos: No. 14 Rock Canyon boys soccer tops No. 19 Valor Chrisitan in shootout

    A shootout went No. 14 Rock Canyon’s way as the Jaguars beat Valor Christian in the first round of the Class 5A boys soccer tournament.

  • Photos: No. 6 Regis Jesuit tops No. 27 Bear Creek in 5A boys soccer tournament

    Four first-half goals sparked No. 6 Regis Jesuit in its 6-0 win over Bear Creek in the first round of the Class 5A boys soccer tournament.