Teammates swarm Porter Milner after his overtime winner. More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
BOULDER — Porter Milner scored the winning goal in overtime as No. 6 Broomfield boys soccer beat No. 5 Fairview in a tough Class 5A matchup on Thursday.
“We just needed to find some energy in our play again,” said Broomfield coach Jim Davidson after the game, a 1-0 Broomfield win. “Last week was a struggle, so we needed to find our consistency and have a senior moment tonight, so Porter delivered.”
Milner was the star throughout for the Eagles with his tremendous efforts not only on the offensive end but on defense as well. The senior stepped up big when his team needed him the most — lined up for a free kick with three minutes left in extra time. His shot found the net just over the goalkeepers’ head.
Milner’s game-winner. More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
“We knew this would be a hard game for us having been a little inconsistent this week, and honestly I think we needed that loss (last week),” Milner said, referring to a 1-0 overtime loss to Mountain Range in which the game ended on a 61-yard free kick. “The games before that, even though we won, weren’t exceptional and it made us stronger.”
At the time of that loss, Broomfield was ranked No. 1 in 5A. It set Thursday’s game up as a big one, especially considering it matched two Front Range League teams.
“Coming into this game we knew that if we didn’t pull off this win out, we might be on the outside looking in when it comes to playoff time,” Davidson said.
His team did just that coming out strong as if it was already playoff action. Both teams were extremely physical throughout the game, causing two big time losses due to injuries for the Knights: senior Jesse Andringa and senior Nathan Biesterfeld. Both did not return to the game after going down.
“Broomfield has obviously been one of the best teams in the state every year so we knew they would be super tough, organized, and well coached we just wanted to make sure we could match their energy level and try to contain them,” said Fairview coach Jeff Frykholm.
The Knights and the Eagles both had a lot of great scoring attempts in the first half but unable to land any due to the outstanding efforts by both goalies.
With time winding down in the second half, both teams still scoreless. Extra time was soon on its way.
Both teams did a quick huddle and then overtime began. Fairview junior Ryan Houseman, also a captain for the Knights, had most of the scoring chances in overtime, including two shots that barely missed skimmed the top of the goal.
“I thought we had some good chances to score,” Frykholm said, “and in this league you only get about three or four a game, so you better be prepared to tuck them away when they come. We need to work putting away the chances that we do get.”
More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)