(3) The Classical Academy 5, (7) Durango (0)
PARKER — The Classical Academy is getting yet another chance to capture that elusive state boys soccer championship.
The No. Titans started slow, but eventually found the groove and rolled to a 4-0 win over Durango in the Class 4A semifinals at Echo Park Automotive Stadium.
Jonny Stevens got TCA on the board in the 27th minute. A TCA shot came off Durango keeper Trey Furnas’ hands and Stevens was able to rocket the ball into the net to break the scoreless tie. He got his second of the game only 11 minutes later, scoring on a header that came off a Jeremy Baldes throw-in.
“We knew we were two up, but that doesn’t mean a team can’t come back and beat you,” Stevens said. “We know from past years, you can go up a goal and still lose so we just wanted to finish this one out and not take anything for granted.”
So that’s what they did.
Jaden Borja added one more Titans goal before halftime, putting the game all but out of reach for the Demons.
But that didn’t stop TCA from continuing to press in the second half as Titus Grant got in on the fun, scoring three minutes into the start of the second half to push the lead to 4-0.
He got his second goal of the half in the 66th minute.
TCA now heads to its sixth state title game in the last seven years. From 2010-13, the Titans played in the 3A title game three times. They’ve played for the 4A championship the last two seasons.
And each time, they have failed to capture gold.
With Colorado Springs powerhouses Cheyenne Mountain and Lewis-Palmer coming into the tournament as the top two seeds, it played into TCA’s hands when they suffered early-round losses.
But it was never going to matter who was lined up on the other side. The Titans are feeling the momentum and definitely feel like this could be their year to finally bring home the school’s first state boys soccer championship.
“Motivation and hard work (are going through our head),” Stevens said. “We want to finish this one right for sure. We need to work hard in practice tomorrow and we’ll see what we do. We still have some things to work on.”
The Titans will head back to Denver for the 4A state title game at 1 p.m. at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
[divider]
(9) Battle Mountain 2, (12) Pueblo West 0
All Battle Mountain needed was enough chances at Pueblo West keeper Tanner Young. The law of averages says he would have to break eventually.
It took nearly 54 minutes, but it happened.
Juan Macias found his opening and fired a shot that finally got by Young, putting the Huskies ahead. They would go on to win 2-0 to advance to the 4A state title game where they will face TCA on Saturday.
“We had most of the possession, the ball just didn’t want to go in,” Macias said. “He had made some awesome saves, but we knew if we kept playing our game, the goal was going to come. Thankfully it did.”
Battle Mountain was testing Young early and often, but the Cyclones keeper was doing everything possible to keep his team afloat.
The Huskies were able to get shot after shot off and Young managed to either swat them away or corral them in.
Thanks to him, the game went into halftime at a 0-0 tie, giving the impression that the first goal scored might just be the one that sent a team to the state championship game.
So when Macias found the back of the net, his teammates and the fanbase that traveled from over two hours away erupted into a frenzy.
Pueblo West was able to get several looks at tying the game, but Alan Villegas proved to be a brick wall in his own right, denying each shot that came his way.
Battle Mountain continued to press on its chances and pushed the lead to 2-0 on a shot from Tony Velasco that found the upper right corner.
And that was all the Huskies needed. Now they are tasked with trying to figure out a way to beat TCA, who handled them 6-0 earlier in the season.
“After that loss, it was a turning point for us,” Macias said. “We needed to get better, and we did. We ended up winning league and we made it this far. This time I think it’s going to be different.”
And if it is, then the Huskies will be heading home with a brand new piece of championship gold.
