Colorado Class 5A state girls soccer title to be decided by familiar foes

Back on April 29, Columbine (Littleton) and Ralston Valley (Arvada) met to decide the Class 5A Jeffco League girls soccer championship. Come Wednesday evening, the two teams will meet again – only this time, there is a little bit more at stake.

The Rebels and Mustangs are the last two teams standing from the 32-team state bracket, and are set to converge on Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City to decide the 2014 state championship.

One thing is for certain: At the end of the night, a Jeffco squad will be crowned champion for the first time since Chatfield (Littleton) in 2009. That's music to the ears for Columbine coach Brian Todd and Ralston Valley coach Kamee Morwood.

"I think, obviously, it's great for Jeffco. We're super proud," Todd said. "We felt like Jeffco hasn't gotten the – respect is, I guess, the right word – over the last several years. This year we just have two really good teams that are proving to the state that Jeffco is a legit league."

It wasn't an easy road to get to this point. Eighth-seeded Columbine (16-3), which earned league bragging rights with a 1-0 win over Ralston Valley in the 5A Jeffco finale, notched postseason wins against Fruita Monument, league rival Dakota Ridge (Littleton) and Doherty (Colorado Springs) before dispatching defending state champion Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) 2-0 in the semifinals.

Ralston Valley, the No. 10 seed, blanked Boulder before surviving a gauntlet that included victories over No. 7 Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village), No. 2 Rock Canyon (Highlands Ranch) and No. 3 Pine Creek (Colorado Springs).

The Mustangs (16-3) trailed Pine Creek 2-0 in the semifinals before scoring three unanswered goals. Freshman Sarah Bevington had the game-winner.

"At halftime we just said ‘if this is the last 40 minutes we play together, let's be proud of it,'" Morwood said. "They came out after halftime and they played their hearts out and played the way we knew we could play."

This will be the sixth appearance in the title game for Columbine, which is 0-5 and most recently lost to Arapahoe (Centennial) in 2000. Ralston Valley advanced to the 4A championship in 2006 before losing to Broomfield, but since joining 5A in 2009, the team hadn't made it out of the first round until last season.

"This year we really wanted to focus on ‘this is not enough for us,'" Morwood said. "We've been content with just getting to the playoffs, but that wasn't enough for us this year."

Both squads have relied on young offensive talent to help get to this point. Columbine's leading scorer is sophomore Tatum Barton, who owns 25 goals on the year. Sophomore Kelcey Cavarra and freshman Amanda Porter have 10 goals each, but Todd emphasized the team's six seniors have been integral in the overall success.

"We've had huge contributions from our sophomore class, and in particular one freshman in Amanda Porter, but we've got a pretty balanced roster," Todd said. "We've got some great leadership in our senior class. It takes an entire roster to get to a game like this."

Ralston Valley's two leading scorers are sophomores Emma Musson (14 goals) and Alyssa Kaiser (11), and freshman Lindsay Guerrero has eight goals.

The Mustangs have eight seniors of their own, and Morwood believes the chemistry has never been better. With each playoff triumph, the team's belief in itself has only grown.

"Now going into this, I just feel like my girls know that a number beside your name doesn't mean anything," she said of the team's seeding. "It's the heart and soul you put out every single game. That's what matters."

Columbine has its own emotional story. Since the school opened in 1973, a girls team has never captured a state championship. With Frank DeAngelis retiring in June after 18 years of serving as Columbine's principal, the Rebels will do everything they can to send him out on top.

"That's just another added element to our story. There's not a better way to send out really a legend in terms of school leadership," Todd said. "He takes a lot of pride in our athletics and is a huge supporter of all our teams.

"He's been saying for years that Columbine needs a girls state championship in something. We just might be able to give it to him in our very last sport playing this spring."

Of note, Ralston Valley principal Jim Ellis and athletic director Jim Hynes also are retiring at the end of the school year.

MaxPreps Colorado Girls State Soccer Brackets

Class 4A

Earlier this season, Broomfield senior Brittney Stark reflected on the 2013 4A state title game, where the Eagles fell 2-0 to Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs).

"It's haunting because it's hard to get that far and not be able to prevail," Stark said back in March. "But at the same time, we have to get there again. This is our motivation to get there."

Those words proved to be prophetic, because Cheyenne Mountain and Broomfield will battle once again for 4A supremacy at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The top-seeded Indians (17-0-2) have yet to allow a goal in the state tournament, winning their previous three games by identical 1-0 margins.

No. 2 Broomfield (16-1-1) has won 15 games in a row and has outscored opponents 87-11 this season, including a 24-1 margin in the postseason.

The University of Colorado-bound Stark leads the Eagles with 22 goals and 10 assists. Sophomore Michaela Stark owns 14 goals and senior Katie Forsee has 11 to go along with 12 assists.

Senior Ellen Smith scored the game-winning goal for Cheyenne Mountain in a 1-0 overtime affair against Green Mountain in the semifinals. The Indians present one of the state's most balanced attacks, with 17 players having scored a goal – junior Hannah Gerdin has a team-leading 10. Junior goalkeeper Hunter Peifer has allowed only five goals and has 12 shutouts to her credit.

Class 3A

The first girls soccer championship to be decided will come Tuesday when second-seeded Colorado Academy (Denver) and No. 8 The Classical Academy (Colorado Springs) meet at 6 p.m. at Dick's.

The two teams met in the 2013 semifinals, with TCA defeating the Mustangs 2-1 to advance to the 3A title game before falling to Peak to Peak (Lafayette).

Junior Marin McCoy has enjoyed a remarkable season for Colorado Academy (15-4) with 30 goals and 17 assists to her credit. Freshman Sarah Masinter has 10 goals and senior Megan Adams has four goals and 10 assists.

The Titans (11-6-1) upended top-seeded Jefferson Academy (Arvada) in the quarterfinals before knocking off Kent Denver (Cherry Hills Village) 1-0 in the semis behind a goal from freshman Hannah Burgo, who has a team-high 21 goals. Senior Bonnie Buzzetta has 11 goals and 12 assists.

TCA last won the state title in 2011; Colorado's Academy's previous title came in 2003.