COLORADO SPRINGS — Moments after netting the game-winning goal 48 seconds into double overtime on Wednesday, Valor Christian senior Don Provost couldn’t help but wonder about a future meeting with Cheyenne Mountain.
“I was happy to be done with that game,” Provost said after the Eagles’ 9-8 road victory Wednesday. “Cheyenne Mountain is a hell of a team, and they gave us the best game we’ve had all season. It feels good to get my first win against them. They’ve always been a thorn in our side, and I’m sure we’ll see them again.”
Provost took a pass from Cole Baker and rifled a shot past Indians goalkeeper Nate Robledo, who earlier made a point-blank save on Grayson Goodyear late in the first four-minute overtime and also stopped Ryan Russell in the closing seconds of regulation.
Goodyear scored three goals for the top-ranked Eagles (14-0), Class 4A’s only undefeated team, while Russell added three assists. Meanwhile, Mitch Page also netted a hat trick for No. 3 Cheyenne Mountain (10-3), which suffered its first loss to a 4A opponent.
Now, a rematch seems all Paige can think about.
“I’m excited because I know we’ll see them again,” Paige said. “We have things we can work on, and I know we can come out on top. It just depends on when and where.”
Cheyenne Mountain scored three unanswered goals to end the third quarter, erasing a 7-4 Valor advantage. The Indians then went ahead after Jack Clancy beat Eagles goalkeeper Shawn Johnson after a nice spin move behind the net gave him an opening in front.
Baker then tied the game, faking a defender to create space, and blasting one past Robledo with 5:34 left in the fourth quarter.
Early, Cheyenne Mountain held its own, grabbing a 4-1 lead, thanks to three consecutive goals from Paige.
(Kevin Carmody/CHSAANow.com)
By halftime, however, the Indians had lost their scoring touch and gave up two Goodyear goals — part of a five-goal outburst — that gave the Eagles a 6-4 advantage heading into halftime.
“We just collected ourselves,” Johnson said. “That’s what helped us. They got out in front, but we kept them out of the middle. We knew that we could come back, one play at a time. We picked out who their shooters were and made them take bad shots.”
Now, all eyes will be upon the 4A playoff bracket, the high seeds these teams likely will earn, and an almost inevitable rematch, possibly May 15 in the state championship game.
“The real work starts next week,” Eagles first-year coach John Grant Jr. said. “I couldn’t be prouder of the way they played. All I could say was three words: ‘What tremendous heart.’ This is a big win for the program, but this means nothing if we don’t take care of business in a couple of weeks, and I’m sure we’ll see them again somewhere along the way.”