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Durango girls soccer denied chance at CHSAA state tournament

One of the hottest teams in Class 4A the last 10 games of the regular season won’t contend for a state championship.

Durango High School’s girls soccer team finished the regular season 7-1-1 in its last nine games and finished second to Montrose in the Class 4A/5A Southwestern League. The Demons finished ahead of every 5A team in their league and were rounding into form at the right time of the season behind Division I signee Lauren Milliet and a strong group of seniors meshed with young talent.

But the Demons (8-6-1) didn’t hear their name called when the Colorado High School Activities Association made its selections for the 32-team state tournament.

“It’s a hard situation. The girls, especially the seniors, ended the regular season on such a high note,” DHS head coach Dalon Parker said Sunday after the selections were announced. “To go 7-1-1 the last nine games and be one of the hottest teams in the state, it’s a hard pill to swallow.”

After winning their season opener, the Demons lost five consecutive games, including three in Colorado Springs at the Air Academy tournament.

The team still was adjusting to new pieces in the lineup and dealt with an early season injury to Milliet during that stretch.

“I think we were punished some for the early season stuff. A 1-5 start is tough, and you look at the league and we were three points away from an automatic bid,” Parker said. “If we win one of those games, we get to play this Wednesday. We shot our own selves in the foot.

“I tell the girls, it’s like NCAA football; you start losing and all of a sudden the season gets more slim each week.”

Canon City (8-7) was the last team in the field and finished third in its league. Mesa Ridge was second in the same league and advanced as the No. 30 team in the bracket with an 8-7 record.

Pueblo West made the tournament with a 7-8 losing record and finished second in its league.

“The girls tried their hardest at the end to make it happen, but it wasn’t enough,” Parker said. “Our league was tough and came down to the last three games for each team. I thought the way we finished and the strength of our league would play a big role for the committee at the end of the day, but we didn’t get in.”

jlivingston@durangoherald.com



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