(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com)
BOULDER — Fairview’s Myles Ellis threw up his hands and ran full speed to embrace his teammates in a rain soaked jersey.
Ellis skipped a shot towards the far post and into the back of the net to give No. 5 Fairview a 1-0 win against No. 3 Broomfield. The Knights now sit in the driver’s seat of Class 5A’s Front Range League.
“It gave us the confidence that we needed, and it allowed our energy to stay high,” Fairview coach Jeff Frykholm said. “It’s certainly better going into halftime up a goal, figuring out how to keep it than trying to chase a goal. Big goal, great start for us, and super finish by Myles.”
Ellis’ ninth-minute goal came on a counter-attack as he streaked down the right side of the field and was fed a near perfect pass.
The message was clear. An energized Fairview squad came out to prove they belong.
“We have to come out. We have to show out tonight,” Fairview senior M Steiner said on the feeling in the locker room. “Our energy was key. After every play, we were there to pick eachother up. We were able to keep eachother going and keep driving for the entire 80 minutes.”
Broomfield came out attacking early, but Fairview’s back line was able to absorb the pressure and clear any chances.
“That was really big for us,” Frykholm said. “So many teams have sat back against us, and when you score early, it opens the game up. Broomfield, they love to play. They love to get up and down. It’s so much more enjoyable where you’re using the whole field as opposed to everything getting condensed.”
The same unit kept the game at 1-0 when the Eagles ripped a line drive shot towards Fairview goalie Luc Albuisson. A Fairview defender stepped in front of the rocket and deflected it wide.
Albuisson came up big in the 50th minute and dove in front of a cross before Broomfield’s Sawyer Giles could attempt a touch in front of the net.
(Cannon Casey/CHSAANow.com)
And again, it was Albuisson keeping the game at 1-0. He dove to his left and made a save on a Tanner Smith shot.
“Those guys in the back played so well,” Frykholm said. “I don’t know how many balls they cleared under pressure inside our 18. Just ball, after ball, after ball. They really showed their leadership and experience tonight. That was not easy, that was tough.
“(Broomfield) threw a lot of bodies in there, and I’m proud of the way that they stood tall and won. They had courage to win ball after ball.”
Minutes before Ellis scored, Josh Kim gave Fairview its first chance. Kim worked his way through the defense in the box and tried a shot, but it was blocked.
“I would say we were definitely very excited at the beginning of the game,” Steiner said. “It’s a big rivalry game between the two schools. It definitely helped with the momentum. We knew that we were able to come out and play well and beat them at the very beginning. That’s been a problem for us.
“Since the beginning, we haven’t been able to come out with energy, but I think that has changed from now on. We’re here to play the whole 80 minutes.”
The weather certainly played a part in how the teams approached the game. Constant rain made the turf slippery and the ball move, and skip, quick.
“It was sloppy. That was not a typical Fairview effort in terms of ball possession and ball movement,” Frykholm said. “It ended up being a little bit of a street fight for us. A lot of balls in the air, a lot of knockdowns. Broomfield sent a lot of balls in. To be honest, we didn’t get into a very good rhythm tonight.
“Sometimes, you have to find other ways to win and it’s certainly no less enjoyable.”
The win puts Fairview in sole possession of first place in Class 5A’s Front Range League.