(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
(1) Kent Denver 2, (4) Vail Mountain 0
DENVER — Kent Denver has some wonderful offensive weapons on the soccer pitch.
The defending Class 3A state champions, led by forwards like Max Gottesfeld and David Felman and halfbacks Davis Oudet and Tyler Nowak, only scored two goals on Thursday at All-City Stadium in Denver, but their dynamic skills allowed the Sun Devils to dominate possession.
Vail Mountain (16-2-1 overall) simply couldn’t hold onto the ball long enough, nor get enough looks at goal, to seriously challenge Kent during a 2-0 semifinals victory for the Sun Devils.
Kent Denver (18-0-1), the No. 1 seed this season and 2014 title winners over Colorado Academy, will be making their seventh appearance in a boys soccer championship game. They were the state runner-up in 1993, 1997, 2001, 2002, and 2012 before finally breaking through for their initial crown. The Sun Devils will be going for back-to-back on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City.
First, they had to get past a Vail Mountain team that had rolled through 3A Region 3 in the regular season and past Crested Butte 3-0, The Vanguard School 3-2, and Pagosa Springs 1-0 on their way to the Final 4. The Gore Rangers were the No. 4 seed in the bracket and were looking for their first-ever state championship appearance.
Kent got started on the right foot, Gottesfeld’s right foot in fact, when the junior forward tapped in a beautiful cross by Nowak with 25:45 to go in the first half.
“It felt great. I got a little lucky because I tried to hit it lefty, but it ended up just sitting in front of my right foot and I was able to send it home,” Gottesfeld said.
Then, for most of the rest of the afternoon the Sun Devils applied constant pressure and created a number of looks at goal, but were unable to add an insurance score. The defense stood tall.
“We were lucky enough to get an early one on Max’s goal,” Kent Denver coach Arty Smith said. “After that, our goal very much was to stay organized defensively and not give away soft ones. Vail generated some opportunities late there, but for the most part we stayed organized and didn’t give them any clean looks at goal.”
Kent finally did create a little more breathing room when Gottesfeld was fouled in the box with 19 minutes to go in the second half. Oudet converted the penalty kick to make it 2-0 and the Sun Devils, unbeaten in 19 games this season, sealed their bid to the championship game.
“It’s a position I’ve never been in as a coach, to be the defending state champion,” Smith said. “Certainly there’s a target on your back every game, but my guys have been incredibly resilient.”
Kent Denver, who has outscored its opponents 11-0 in four playoff games, acted with class after their semifinals victory.
“I would like to complement Vail Mountain,” Smith said. “One of the great things about the state playoffs is you get to play a team like Vail that we don’t see in the regular season, and honestly I don’t know if we’ve ever played them before. I can see why they had such a great record. They were well disciplined and well organized and their coaches did a great job.”
(6) Fountain Valley 2, (18) Coal Ridge 1
After 53 minutes of scoreless action, Coal Ridge midfielder Sergio Valentin ran away from the Fountain Valley defense and scored to give the Titans a 1-0 lead.
The Danes answered right back three minutes later when Sam Bermingham was fouled in the box and Ian Strine converted the penalty kick to even things up. Fountain Valley’s Will Graney tapped in a cross three minutes after that to give the Colorado Springs school a 2-1 lead, a goal that proved to be the game-winner in a 3A boys soccer semifinals showdown.
For two schools that, according to CHSAA records, have never won a team championship in any sport, the stakes were colossal Thursday.
Coal Ridge was a Cinderella darling as the No. 18 seed after finishing 9-5-1 in the regular season. The Titans thumped No. 15 Denver Christian 5-0, upset No. 2 Liberty Common 1-0, and held off No. 10 Salida 2-1 to reach the Final Four.
Fountain Valley (15-2-2), the No. 6 seed in the tournament, will be making its second appearance in a boys soccer state championship game and first since losing to Denver Christian in the 3A title match in 2007.
The 3A state title game between Fountain Valley and Kent Denver will be played at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. The two teams tied 1-1 during the regular season.