TCA’s Hannah Burgo rips a shot toward the Pueblo West net during the Titan’s 8-0 win on Wednesday. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
COLORADO SPRINGS — It seemed so long ago that the Classical Academy stood tall as the No. 1 team in the Class 4A CHSAANow.com girls soccer rankings.
They held the distinction for a week. Then a double-overtime loss to Cheyenne Mountain knocked the Titans off that perch.
Wednesday night, the Titans (13-1-2 overall) cruised into the second round of the 4A state soccer tournament with a 8-0 win over Pueblo West. They’re not Lewis-Palmer and they’re not Cheyenne Mountain, but the Titans are content with flying under the radar in this tournament.
“I know everyone is looking at LP now and waiting for them to make a mistake or just go on and continue to carry their season,” TCA forward Hannah Burgo said. “I don’t think anyone is paying any attention to us because we didn’t have a great start. I think we’re just trying to slip past everyone while everyone is focused on LP.”
Burgo hosted the highlight reel for TCA all night, scoring five of the team’s eight goals in the win over the Cyclones (6-9). It’s the third time this season she’s scored five goals in a game.
And as much as she thinks misdirection will work as long as Lewis-Palmer is alive, most teams will remember that the Titans beat the Rangers 1-0 back on Mar. 12.
From that standpoint, coach Blake Galvin isn’t so sure that his team will be able to remain inconspicuous for long.
“I thought we would be (seeded) somewhere in the four to eight range,” Galvin said. “So great. We’ll go. This is where we should be. We’re working hard and the girls are doing a good job.”
Next up for the Titans is Mullen, which is coming off a 7-0 win over Vista PEAK. Something is going to have to give. Despite scoring eight goals on Thursday, it’s TCA’s defense that has been the most impressive.
Behind that unit, the team hasn’t given up a goal since Apr. 9.
“You definitely can’t win without a strong defense,” Emily Mueller said. “Like coach says, we all want to defend as a team, it’s not just the defense defending. Everyone, no matter if you’re a forward or midfield, everyone defends together as a team. That really gives us a strong defense and helps us shut down the other team.”
That and maybe the ability to sneak by while everyone has their eyes on Lewis-Palmer is what might make this TCA team a legitimate threat in the 4A tournament. The Titans were the No. 2 seed a year ago and lost in the second round to Standley Lake. It’s an experience that they hope to use as a lesson this time around.
“Last year we got in the mindset that we were undefeated and it was going to be easy in a way,” Mueller said. “This year, we’re going to focus on this game and not the long run.”
If the Titans get past Mullen, a potential rematch looms with Air Academy. In their first three games of the season, the Titans recorded a tie, a win and a loss.
Air Academy was the tie. Only time will tell if by that point, the Titans are still able to fly under the radar.