(Ariana Freeman/CHSAANow.com)
WESTMINSTER — Coming off of a 2-1 loss to Rock Canyon earlier this week, the Westminster Wolves were ready to protect their home field in a tough match up against Monarch. They did just that, netting a thrilling 2-1 overtime win against the Coyotes on Thursday.
Both teams started off very aggressively with a total of four yellow cards pulled just in the first half alone, three on Monarch (1-1 overall) and one on Westminster (1-1).
The aggressive attitude gave Westminister tons of great looks at the goal but they just couldn’t convert until sophomore mid-fielder Isaac Macias saved the day with the first goal of the game with barely any time left in the first half, giving Westminster the 1-0 lead.
Winding down in the second half it looked as if Monarch had no hope of coming back until they finally scored with 12 minutes to go in regulation tying the game at 1-1. The score stayed tied for the rest of regulation sending it to a 10 minute overtime.
Within the first two minutes of overtime senior Gio Dominguez stepped up big and hit the game winning goal. That goal gave Westminister the 2-1 win over Monarch and the whole team immediately jumped onto one another and fell to the ground cheering.
Coach Ben Forbes made it clear to his team how important this game was to bounce back after the loss and prove “that they can play with anybody in the state of Colorado,” and going forward they need to work on their defense in the mid-field.
Monarch will get their chance to bounce back from the loss when they host Rangeview on Wednesday. That same day, the Wolves hit the road and will travel to Arvada to take on the Bulldogs.