(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com)
BOULDER — Boulder’s Omar Castruita stepped up to the free kick with the game tied at 1. It was a familiar position for Castruita, who practiced almost the exact free kick earlier in the week.
“Earlier this week, we were practicing free kicks and I had a similar free kick,” Castruita said. “I practiced that and I hit it in the same spot as in practice.”
Castruita banged it in left side in the 73rd minute and gave the No. 1 Panthers their first lead of the game in a 2-1 win against No. 4 Fairview.
“What’s going through Omar’s mind is that he can do it,” Boulder coach Hardy Kalisher said on what he was thinking with Castruita about to take the kick. “I have confidence in him.”
It was a game that could have just as easily been mistaken for a playoff game in November.
Fairview controlled the majority of the chances in the first half, with Boulder weathering and sending through balls on the counter attack.
“We have a system that we’re playing in and we know that they’re going to build out of the back,” Kalisher said. “Nobody is scoring goals from 80 yards out, so we have to be comfortable with their possession of the ball and trust that we’re going to create some chances.
“Yes, they had the possession in the first half, but I think we had better chances. They happened to finish theirs.”
Fairview’s Austin Dahl controlled the pass, turned towards goal and shot left side on Cameron Casey. Dahl’s shot went just over the outstretched hands of Casey and found the back of the net.
Dahl finished, but it was Sajji Singh that set it up. Singh stole the ball from Boulder’s Omar Castruita at midfield and found Dahl at the top of the box.
Boulder broke through in the 48th minute. It was Daniel Zapatero that shot a ball so hard it went through the net to tie the game, 1-1.
(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com)
“Daniel (Zapatero) has been tremendous with effort,” Kalisher said. “Each game, he’s been very close to getting some finishes, so tonight, to get the equalizer from a guy who might weigh 105 pounds is pretty great.”
Nick McCabe was busy for the Panthers, as his teammates found him streaking towards the net twice. McCabe put a low, skipping shot on net that was saved. Then, McCabe tried to leave a pass in front of goal, but the Fairview defense cleared the chance.
Boulder’s best scoring opportunity in the first half came on a free kick in the 37th minute. Fairview’s goalie had the ball go off his hands and fall into a scrum at the front of the net. The ball went out of bounds for a corner.
The Panthers found motivation in playing their style of play. Castruita put it as, “Just another day at the office.”
“Play the Boulder way,” Castruita said. “Just a love for eachother. We know we can trust those around us. Myself and my teammates try to make everyone around us better. Make better players.”
Boulder isn’t fazed by a halftime deficit. Kalisher and the Panthers relish the opportunity.
“We want to be down 1-0 at this point in the season and see what we’re made of,” Kalisher said. “We responded well. Trust the players you have on the field, trust the guys who have the experience. They came through.”
Casey came through in goal. Zapatero came through with the equalizer. Castruita came through with the finisher.
“We don’t rebuild,” Castruita said. “We reload.”
And the Panthers seem to have done just that so far this season with wins over No. 2 Broomfield and No. 4 Fairview.