(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
COLORADO SPRINGS — Pine Creek just couldn’t make things easy.
First the Eagles gave up an early goal to Grand Junction’s Andrew Hansen. After they were able to score three-straight times to take a 3-1 lead. But a penalty kick for the Tigers with about four minutes to go cut the lead to one, forcing the Eagles to sweat out the end of the game.
But they pulled it off. With a 3-2 win over Grand Junction, Pine Creek advanced to the second round of the Class 5A boys soccer playoffs.
“I don’t think Grand Junction gets a lot of credit for soccer on the Western Slope,” Pine Creek coach Ben Corely said. “This was just a great display on their part. They were all over us in the first half.”
The Tigers led 1-0 for most of the first 40 minutes, but the Eagles were able to get an equalizer right before halftime.
And less than three minutes into the second half, it was Jakob Ervin who got the go-ahead goal for the Eagles and it was the home team who then got to turn up the pressure.
“That first-half goal gave us some hope,” Ervin said. “Whenever you score a goal, it motivates you more to go harder and that’s what we did going out in the second half and it paid off.”
Andrew Turk increased the lead to 3-1 for the Eagles before Jake Chaffetz cut the lead in half on a penalty kick. But the Tigers couldn’t find an equalizer of their own and it’s Pine Creek who will live to see another day.
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