A tie and a loss in the final two games of the regular season had Jen Zelinski hoping her Bayfield Wolverines would earn a spot in the top 25 of the state tournament bracket.

The CHSAA Class 3A Girls Soccer State Championship field was set Sunday, and Bayfield High School (10-4-1) earned the No. 24 seed and will face No. 9 Manitou Springs (11-4-0) in the opening round. The game will be played Friday afternoon at The Classical Academy in Colorado Springs.

“I’m pretty happy with getting 24 with how our record ended up, and I’m not surprised we are going to see Manitou,” Zelinski said.

Zelinski classifies her team as a youthful squad with little postseason experience, except for the five seniors on the team.

BHS sophomore Maddy Duran leads the Wolverines with 11 goals. Meaghan Mooney, a junior, has five goals and five assists this season.

The Wolverines score an average of 2.1 goals per game, and the Manitou Springs Mustangs score at a 4.5 goals per game pace. The Mustangs are led by Kaity Vogel’s 19 goals and 13 assists.

“We’ve played Manitou in the past and know what to expect,” Zelinski said. “They’re a big team; we’re going to have to be smart.”

The two teams share one common opponent this season, that being Salida. Bayfield beat Salida 3-2, while Manitou Springs slammed the Spartans 7-0.

BHS freshman goalkeeper Kailee Millard has made strides all season for the Wolverines. Though she is playing in just her first season, Zelinski is confident Millard and the BHS defense can slow the Mustangs, who scored 67 times in 15 games this season.

“(Millard) has made a ton of progress. She is still learning and loving the game,” Zelinski said. “Our defense is going to have to work hard, but they can do the job.”

If BHS can win Friday, the Wolverines would play the winner of No. 8 The Classical Academy (7-6-1) and No. 25 Colorado Springs School (5-3-2) on Saturday.

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