(Zach Fogg/CHSAANow.com)
AURORA — The Broomfield Eagles’ defense was stifling. And it earned them a trip to the state championship game.
The state’s No. 4 seed in the Class 5A girls soccer bracket deployed a gameplan for their semifinals matchup against the second-seeded Golden Eagles of Mountain Vista designed to force their talented counterparts away from a potent vertical attack, and it worked well enough to earn them a 2-0 victory.
“We needed to keep really organized across the back,” said Broomfield head coach Jim Davidson. “They like to play those ‘flighted’ balls into the box but we did a great job of staying connected keeping the play in front of us and (goalkeeper Shannon Mooney) did a great job organizing everything in front of us.”
Indeed Mooney did play a pivotal role in the game, making potentially game-winning saves all match long in a contest that didn’t even see its first score until the final 12 minutes.
From the opening kickoff, Broomfield (17-1-1 overall, 10-1-1 league) clogged the Golden Eagles’ vertical passing lanes, compelling Mountain Vista (16-3, 10-0) to decide between a more passive attack or forcing the ball into heavy traffic.
Yet despite frustrating Vista from a scoring standpoint, the Golden Eagles were able to control much of the play in both halves, through their relentless attack as well as solid back-checking on defense that forced several turnovers from behind on Broomfield.
The Eagles weren’t short on chances though, as they parlayed several first half breaks into high quality set pieces that kept Mountain Vista on their toes.
Yet the first ball to make it past either goalkeeper would be a rising blast from outside the 18 from Makena Bambei of Broomfield, which went off the crossbar and into the net after a slightly mistimed leap by Golden Eagles keeper Kylee Love. By that point almost 70 of 80 minutes had been played in the match.
Broomfield would strike again minutes later as well, as one of their corner kicks finally paid off after a mad scramble in front of the net saw the ball trickle out to the backside where Gia Lemley would put it home for the Eagles.
Both plays were tough breaks for Love, who had made two excellent saves in a row just previous to the goals. Additionally, Mountain Vista’s players were upset at the lack of an offside call on the second goal—and they may have had a point.
“We just couldn’t finish our opportunities and got unlucky,” said Mountain Vista coach Theresa Echtermeyer. “And that’s the game sometimes. It’s brutal. You get more chances and if you don’t get them in and allow the other team to stick around, bad things happen.”
For Broomfield, they knew that it would take something special to get past the talented Golden Eagles.
“The system worked,” said Davidson. “You have to adjust to this team because they are so talented. So yeah, this is just a great team win.”
Broomfield will face the winner of Grandview and Thunder Ridge in the state championship game. The later match starts at 1:30pm.
(2) Grandview 1, (3) ThunderRidge 0 (OT)
After suffering through a long delay at halftime of their game, Grandview got the overtime winner to advance to the 5A title game.
This will be Grandview’s second appearance in the title game. The Wolves also went in 2008, and beat Heritage.
Grandview advances to play Broomfield. The two teams did not meet during the regular season.
Class 5A girls soccer championship
7:30 p.m. on May 20 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park (Bracket)
- Broomfield vs. Grandview