Columbine junior Tatum Barton (10) attempt to maintain possession of the ball with four Arvada West defenders in the vicinity Wednesday night at Lakewood Memorial Field. Barton scored 22 seconds into the Class 5A Jeffco League match as the Rebels went on to a 3-0 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
LAKEWOOD — Columbine junior Tatum Barton wasn’t a procrastinator Wednesday night at Lakewood Memorial Field.
The reigning Class 5A player of the year scored 22 seconds into the Rebels’ 5A Jeffco League match against Arvada West. Columbine, the defending 5A state champion, went on to cruise to a 3-0 victory in its conference opener.
“That was different,” Barton said of her goal in the opening minute where she turned and fired a left-footed shot from just outside the 18-yard box. “I just always shoot, 24/7. It went in.”
Barton was coming off a three-goal performance Monday night in a 4-1 non-league victory against Highlands Ranch.
“Any coach will tell you if you can score a goal in the first couple minutes, let alone the first 22 seconds, that will get you off on the right foot for sure,” Columbine coach Brian Todd said.
Barton scored her ninth goal of the season early in the second half to put the Rebels (5-2, 1-0 in league) ahead 3-0. Columbine sophomore Marin Olson’s initial shot rocketed off the cross bar, but Barton was there for the rebound and put it into the back of the net.
Columbine freshman Nikoletta Apergis (9) battles with Arvada West junior Cassie Feely (13) near the sideline Wednesday night at Lakewood Memorial Field. Despite a 45-minute lightning delay, Columbine came away with a 3-0 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
“We were saying she (Barton) was special last year and she was only a sophomore,” Todd said of Barton who had 26 goals during the Rebels’ run to the program’s first girls soccer state title last season. “She is special again and she is only a junior. Teams are going to have to put up with her next year.”
Columbine junior Kelcey Cavarra scored the second goal of the game for the Rebels. Cavarra put home a penalty kick in the 26th minute before a 45-minute lightning delay late in the first half.
“Give A-West credit. They did play the whole 80 minutes. Up 3-0 can cripple a team,” Todd said. “You can do some things differently in the way you hold possession and defend. You are in control and can dictate the pace.”
A-West’s best scoring chance came shortly after Barton’s opening goal, but the Wildcats (4-4, 1-1) weren’t able to get a shot past Columbine senior goalkeeper Sarah Luebking.
“This game was hard because we gave up that goal right away,” A-West coach Troy Gette said after the Wildcats suffered their fourth shutout loss of the season. “There was no recovering from that. We just weren’t ready and focused.”
A-West continues its conference stretch against Chatfield (3-4, 1-1) at 5 p.m. Friday at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada.
Columbine returns to Lakewood Memorial to face Bear Creek (2-7, 0-2) at 5 p.m. Friday.
The Rebels and rival Ralston Valley (5-1-1, 1-0) are out to an early lead in the conference. Columbine, Ralston Valley and Standley Lake (now in 4A Jeffco) all finished with 6-2 league marks last season.
“We have a lot of new players that really help us,” Barton said of the newest edition of the Rebels. “We definitely lost good players from last year. We are a different team this year. We’ll see how it goes.”
Arvada West junior Annika Brunger (11) gets to the ball ahead of Columbine senior Kelsey Clark (5) during the first half Wednesday night at Lakewood Memorial Field. (Dennis Pleuss)
Arvada West freshman Kynlee Post (2) gets her head on the ball during the first half Wednesday at Lakewood Memorial Field. (Dennis Pleuss)