The Air Academy Tournament is the ultimate early season test for the Durango High School girls soccer team, and the Demons cleared a massive hurdle Friday.
Opening play against the tournament host and the 10th-ranked team in the Colorado High School Activities Association preseason poll, the Demons defeated the Kadets 1-0 on Friday afternoon in Colorado Springs.
After playing a scoreless match with Air Academy for 55 minutes, Durango’s Lane Arnwine created the play that ended with the game-winning goal. Arnwine made a run into the box and fired a shot that was going just wide of goal. The Air Academy goalkeeper got a finger on the ball and directed it toward Durango senior Lauran Morrissey, who buried a shot in the back of the goal.
“Big time win,” Durango head coach Dalon Parker said. “Lane created an opportunity, and Lauran finished it.”
Durango was without two key players in Katie Milliet and Maddie Robertson. Milliet is out for the season with a knee injury, and Robertson is hoping to return before the end of the season with a knee injury of her own.
The Demons have replaced those two players as a collective unit, and Parker was thrilled with the team’s intensity level Friday.
“We set three goals, and we achieved all three,” he said. “The first was perseverance, the second was to stay disciplined and the third was to transition quickly.”
The discipline of the defense allowed for smooth transition play in the midfield. Parker complimented the play of Morgan Murray and Lydia Schertz, two freshmen, for their play defensively. He said Morrissey and Jenna Beckley orchestrated the midfield.
“This whole team is pretty vocal and is probably the best as far as team chemistry I’ve had here,” Parker said. “Not probably, it is.”
Durango (1-0) will have to play two matches Saturday. Playing twice in two days is always a challenge for soccer clubs, let alone two in one day.
The Demons will face Douglas County in the semifinals at 11 a.m. with a chance tor each the championship game at 2:30 p.m. If Durango is unable to win, it would play in the third-place match at 12:30 p.m.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
