Coal Ridge, Salida tangle for spot in Colorado 3A boys soccer semis

Through the first two rounds of the Class 3A state boys soccer tournament, the chips have essentially fallen as expected.

Top-seeded and defending state champion Kent Denver (Englewood) is back in the quarterfinals, as are five of the top six seeds overall. There have been few surprises from the field of 32 – with the exception of Quadrant 4.

Two teams familiar with making deep postseason runs are back at it again. No. 18 Coal Ridge (New Castle), which has reached at least the quarterfinals in the previous three tournaments, knocked off 2014 semifinalist Denver Christian before upsetting second-seeded Liberty Common (Fort Collins) 1-0 in double overtime in the second round.

The Titans draw 10th-seeded Salida in Friday's quarterfinals. The Spartans ended the run of Colorado Academy (Denver), which had made the finals in each of past three years, with a 1-0 victory Oct. 31 thanks to a goal in the final minute.

"It was ugly, but effective," Salida coach Benjamin Oswald said. "We played outstanding defense on the day. That's something you know as a coach, regardless of the sport: Defending is what gets it done at the end of the day."

The other three quarterfinals pit Kent Denver against league rival Peak to Peak (Lafayette); third-seeded KIPP Denver Collegiate against No. 6 Fountain Valley (Colorado Springs); and No. 4 Vail Mountain vs. No. 5 Pagosa Springs.

Nick Thayer put in the game winner for Salida, just tucking the ball under the crossbar. The victory avenged a 2-0 semifinal loss to Colorado Academy in the 2014 semifinals. It was Thayer's 21st goal on the season, to go along with 24 from junior Evan Coit. Oswald credited goalkeeper Des Lau with playing one of his best games to keep Salida in it despite Colorado Academy having the edge in possession.

Next up is Coal Ridge in a rematch of a Sept. 12 game won by the Spartans 3-2. Coal Ridge led 2-0 at halftime of that game, only to see Salida respond with three second-half scores.

"This is a team that's got playoff experience. They've got a bit of sand to them to knock off the No. 2 – that's quite an accomplishment," Oswald said of the Titans. "We snatched one from them earlier in the season. I expect them to come with full confidence."

The state's two leading goal scorers also have their teams still alive in the 3A field. Undefeated Pagosa Springs has 40-goal scorer James Berndt, and KIPP has its own 40-goal man in Jhovani Gonzalez. Those teams, along with Fountain Valley, each lost in the first round a year ago.

Class 5A
As expected, the Front Range League had a strong showing in the first round of the 5A state tournament. Six of the final 16 teams still standing are from the Front Range, including all four squads in Quadrant 1.

Three of last year's four semifinalists from the Front Range won their first-round matches, with Broomfield, Fairview (Boulder) and Boulder all advancing.

There were a few notable upsets. Fifth-seeded Monarch (Louisville) was upended 2-1 by Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) in the first round behind goals from Nolan Gao and Cray Cordero. Legacy (Broomfield) eliminated No. 8 ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch) with an impressive 5-0 showing that saw goals from five different players.

No. 22 George Washington (Denver) knocked off No. 11 Pine Creek (Colorado Springs) 1-0 to move on to Wednesday's second round.

The 5A quarterfinals are scheduled for Saturday, with the semifinals set for Nov. 11.

Class 4A
Just like the Front Range League in 5A, the 4A field has a league of its own that is making plenty of noise.
The Jeffco League advanced five teams into Tuesday's second round, with Evergreen, Littleton, Standley Lake (Westminster), D'Evelyn (Denver) and Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) all winning first-round matches.

Valor Christian and D'Evelyn were two of only three lower-seeded squads to win, with the Eagles taking out No. 14 Lewis-Palmer (Monument)  3-1 and the Jaguars defeating No. 16 Steamboat Springs. Palmer Ridge (Monument), the No. 20 seed, downed No. 13 Eagle Valley 2-1.

Defending champion Air Academy (US Air Force Academy) bounced back from a loss to top-seeded Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) in the regular-season finale to advance. Cheyenne Mountain and No. 2 The Classical Academy (Colorado Springs), along with No. 3 Battle Mountain (Edwards), each posted shutouts in the first round.

The quarterfinals will take place Saturday (Nov. 7).