(Jon E. Yunt)
FORT COLLINS — All Fossil Ridge boys soccer coach Shannon Clarke could do was shake his head.
His SaberCats have spent the season dominating the run of play, yet had very little to show for it. Their 7-5-1 overall mark and 5-3-1 Front Range League mark entering Wednesday nights season finale against crosstown rival Poudre had them on the outside looking in as far as an automatic bid to the 32 team Class 5A playoff field.
They still might need a few things to go their way, but the SaberCats did themselves a huge favor at J. Ray French Field by dispatching Poudre 1-0. If anything, it’s a win that could impress the selection committee and earn them an at-large bid.
“Like every game this season, I felt like we completely dominated the play and had a gagillion chances to their very few, and finally tonight we get the winning stroke,” Clarke said. “So many times it has gone the other way for us, just like that.”
Fossil Ridge completely dominated the run of play and out-shot the Impalas 12-1, including 10-0 in the second half. Yet, they had nothing to show for it for the first 75 minutes of the game.
Finally, in the 76th minute, the SaberCats lined up for a corner kick and Elliot Weber sent a well-placed ball to the near post and senior midfielder Jarrett Pugh finished with his head past goalie Hector Torales.
“We just had to keep with our system and we had a couple of calls go against us and we were pushing to get that goal the whole game,” said Pugh, who proudly wore the captain’s band. “We just kept working hard, serving in those balls and we were finally able to get one. This was a good team win.”
Torales was brilliant in net for the Impalas, who scored a huge win for the playoffs chances on Tuesday night against Fort Collins. The senior, who had never played soccer before this year, finished with 11 saves — none bigger than midway through the second half on a Gage Clifton shot.
“He’s an athletic kid and he’s got great hands,” said Poudre coach Erik Eckhoff of his goalie. “He’s a humble kid and he likes to work and he’s been huge for us.”
Poudre drops to 10-4 overall and now 5-4 in a very deep league. Eckhoff thinks his team has done enough to warrant a shot at postseason play.
“But a game like that and the game against Collins (Tuesday) night definitely helps us, even though this was a 1-0 loss, it’s still a 1-0 loss to one of the better teams in the state and a team that dominated us for most of the game,” he said. “Based on last night and tonight, people don’t look at 1-0 losses to Fossil and say they are totally out. They are going to say ‘Wow, they busted their butt.'”
Also on the line Wednesday night were Choice City bragging rights. Between the four 5A schools in the city of Fort Collins, it is the SaberCats — who beat Rocky Mountain and Poudre and tied Fort Collins — that will hold the crown for another season.
“City games, you can just throw the records out the window,” Pugh said. “We all play with each other in club and we all know each other really well and we have these rivalries in the fall, so it’s always nice to get a win against a city team.”
The CHSAA will announce all three classifications of state brackets on Sunday afternoon.