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tskulski@steamboatpilot.com
This season, Steamboat Springs boys soccer was battle-tested.
Head coach Rob Bohlmann said the stacked regular season schedule gave the Sailors an opportunity to see a variety of high-level playing styles, which he knew would be an advantage come playoff time.
No. 15 Steamboat Springs invited No. 18 Denver West to town on Wednesday for a first-round matchup in the Colorado High School Activities Association Boys Soccer State Championship playoff. Steamboat dominated each half, winning the game 7-0.
“The energy level from minute one to minute 80 was very consistent,” Bohlmann said. “They played with a lot of maturity … They are coming into form at the right time and we all know about it — you win and you learn, you lose and you learn a lot more.”
From the start, Steamboat’s offensive attack was suffocating to the visiting Cowboys. Senior Jeffrey Sturges made things look easy with a goal in the opening minute, later notching another goal off an assist from Matthias Wolf and a third at the start of the second half for a hat trick.
Sturges was proud of the intensity the team displayed for the full game and hopes Steamboat can continue that pressure for all remaining playoff games.
“After we scored the first one, it only got higher and the trust we have in each other, we can go out and perform,” Sturges explained. “We have nothing to worry about.”
Taking a 3-0 lead into halftime, Bohlmann and a handful of the team’s leaders talked about staying focused and not taking their foot off the gas.
In many ways, the second half was even more dominant for the Sailors, who notched four more goals in the 40-minute period. Nolan Laird started things off early with a goal, followed by Sturges, Campbell McLaren and Nathan Rind. McLaren scored two in the game, which was a career high for the senior in the final home game of his high school career.
The Sailors’ victory propels them to a second-round match against No. 2 Jefferson Academy, which defeated No. 31 Pueblo Central 5-0 Wednesday night. Jefferson Academy held an 11-3-1 record in the regular season and shares no common opponents this season with the Sailors.
Round 2 will be hosted at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday night in Broomfield.
McLaren says the team’s upcoming match shares similarities with last season, when the Sailors reached the state quarterfinal before falling 2-1 against Centaurus, which was also ranked as the second-best team in the state.
“Playing the second seed again like we did last year,” McLaren said. “We are ready. We have been there before.”
Denver West 0, Steamboat Springs 7
DW: 0 0
SS: 3 4
To reach Tom Skulski, call 970-871-4240, email tskulski@SteamboatPilot.com.
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