ENGLEWOOD — The last time that No. 1 Ralston Valley and No. 9 Boulder boys soccer faced off against each other, in just the second game of the season, the Mustangs opened the Panthers’ eyes to the adjustments necessary if they wanted to make a deep run in the playoffs.
On Saturday night at Englewood High School, the Panthers reversed the fortunes of that 4-0 bruiser and gave the Mustangs quite the scare during the Class 5A state quarterfinals. In the end, however, the game fell 1-0 in Ralston Valley’s favor.
The Mustangs will now move on to play No. 12 Cherokee Trail in the semifinals.
“We came a long ways from the first couple games,” Boulder head coach Hardy Kalisher said. “There were a lot of new players on varsity, a lot of seniors. These kids have known each other since they were in elementary school, middle school. We have high expectations at Boulder High, and when you step into the varsity team and you don’t have a lot of experience there, there was a little bit of a learning curve. But I tell you, we asked them to meet the standard. In many ways, they met it and exceeded it and all you can ask for tonight is that they give absolutely everything.”
Throughout Saturday’s contest, the Mustangs controlled much of the narrative and possession time, but the Panthers certainly gave a show with plenty of countering shots on goal. The lone score of the evening, in the 13th minute, sailed off of Buddy Pouchot’s cleat and over the head of Boulder keeper Joey Schwab.
A little bit later, a Boulder goal was called off because it hit the football goal post uprights before bouncing down into the soccer goal.
“We did well enough to win the game,” Kalisher said. “We didn’t get (in) their goal. It’s hard to score on a team that’s given up only five goals all year, but it wasn’t for lack of effort. I’m proud of every one of these guys. No excuses, but we were definitely not 100% physically — sick, injuries— but the guys were trying to play through it. I think the second half, we threw everything at them.”
The conclusion of Boulder’s season follows an arc that most teams, in any sport, would be envious of. The Panthers’ four prior losses (13-5 record) all came to pass in September, and three belonged to some of the top teams in the classification with Ralston Valley, No. 2 Cherry Creek and No. 4 Legacy. No. 15 Fossil Ridge got the better of them too.
Dating to Sept. 30, however, they enjoyed a nine-game winning streak, eventually solidifying themselves as one of the best eight teams in Colorado.
A couple of odd bounces or different calls Saturday night could have shifted the winds in their favor. It just wasn’t meant to be. If anything, the 1-0 decision tells a tale of steep improvement.
“We really came together as a team and figured a lot of things out,” senior forward Hayden Neale said. “I think we could have won the game today, really. We had a lot of players move around and we switched up the back line a bit. We just made some tactical changes. Nothing’s given. You got to earn everything, and I think we’ve done that throughout the season.”
Earlier in the day, 3A’s No. 2 Jefferson Academy took down No. 7 Coal Ridge with a 3-2 score thanks to goals from seniors Luca Arroyo, Troy Brown and Dylan Bahrenburg, and it will now move on to play No. 3 Steamboat Springs in the semifinals. 4A’s second-seeded Silver Creek, likewise, defeated No. 10 Air Academy 3-0 with scoring help from Parker Brown (2 goals) and Rien Pacaro, and will play No. 6 Greeley Central next.
5A’s No. 4 Legacy suffered a huge upset from No. 12 Cherokee Trail, whose lone goal was enough to take down the Lightning (1-0). No. 5 Peak to Peak, similarly, saw its 3A state playoff run come to an end with a 2-0 showing from No. 4 Kent Denver.
