LAKEWOOD — It’s early, but Columbine took the driver’s seat in the girls soccer Class 5A Jeffco League on Friday night.
With the temps in the 30s, the Rebels (7-2, 3-0 in league) stayed hot at Lakewood Memorial Field with a 2-0 victory over Arvada West. The win gave Columbine a 1-game lead over the rest of the field in 5A Jeffco three games into conference play.
Arvada West senior Hallie Smith (6) goes up for a header with Columbine senior Kaitlyn Weiser. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“You always want to be in the lead and control your own destiny,” Columbine coach Brian Todd said after the Rebels’ fifth straight victory. “We’ve got a tough league. Jeffco is a great league in 5A and 4A.”
Columbine, No. 6 in the CHSAANow.com 5A girls soccer poll, haven’t lost since a 1-0 setback to defending 5A state champion Mountain Vista on March 15.
Chatfield (5-3-1, 2-1) dropped its first conference game of the season earlier in the day at the North Area Athletic Complex. Ralston Valley (4-5, 2-1) defeated the Chargers 2-0 to give the winner of the A-West/Columbine showdown sole possession of first in the conference.
“We want to lead the league all season and our goal is to be league champs again,” Columbine senior Skylar Alward said. “Our main goal is to win league and go far in playoffs.”
Arvada West junior Madison Johnson (17) and Columbine sophomore Peyton Weber (15) battle at Lakewood Memorial Field. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
The current Rebels’ senior class has never not finished atop of the 5A Jeffco standings. Columbine has earned at least a share of the conference title since the 2014 season. During that stretch the Rebels have a 28-3-1 conference record.
Columbine pushed it league unbeaten streak to 17 games thanks to a stellar defensive effort and first-half goals from seniors Kaitlyn Weiser (13th minute) and Alward (31st minute).
“I thought the first half of the game we played really good soccer,” Todd said. “We sprayed the ball around, played the feet, shared the ball and put on a really good performance that resulted in two goals.”
A highlight for A-West (5-2, 2-1) was goalie Ashleigh Burr. The junior made a number of great saves to keep the Wildcats within striking distance.
Columbine junior Morgan Penrose (17) clears the ball away from Arvada West junior Hailey Johns. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
However, A-West offense couldn’t generate many offensive threats on Columbine senior goalie Madeline Samuelson, who recorded her sixth shutout in net this season.
“They are doing really well,” Alward said of the Rebels’ defensive back. “We strive for those shutouts. We are really doing well back there.”
The low scoring affair wasn’t shocking by any means. Columbine and A-West had combined to give up just eight goals and tallied eight shutout victories in their previous 14 games.
“It was a great dominate effort on our part,” Todd added.
Columbine squares off against Lakewood at 7 p.m. Monday, April 16, at Lakewood Memorial Field. The Rebels can extend their winning streak to six games.
The Wildcats return to Lakewood Memorial Field with a pair of conference games next week. A-West faces Chatfield (Tuesday, April 17) and Dakota Ridge (Friday, April 20) back at LMF.
Arvada West senior Jenna Colombo (9) keeps her feet as Columbine senior Skylar Alward takes a spill in the first half Friday at Lakewood Memorial Field. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)