Hannah Coster said she had the best season of her career, but believes there’s more in store. The Durango High School girls soccer midfielder scored early and often during the spring season as she helped lead her side to reach the first round of the Colorado High School Activities Association’s Class 4A girls state soccer tournament.
Coster led DHS in scoring this past season with seven goals and added two assists, and as a result, Coster was an honorable mention selection to the Class 4A all-state girls soccer team. She was one of five Demons who were honored with postseason awards, as four of her teammates were named to the Class 5A/4A Southwestern League’s all-league teams.
Coster, who was also named a first-team all-Southwestern League selection, nearly tripled her goal total from last year after she found the back of the net twice. This season, she was much more efficient in front of goal and registered a point in five games. It included two goals against Skyline in the team’s first win of the year, and she recorded her first-career hat trick two weeks later against The Academy in an 8-0 win. Her biggest goal of the season came in the first round of the playoffs against Standley Lake, when she stepped up and converted a penalty kick that briefly tied the game.
“This season for me was phenomenal, and there’s no way I could have done it without (Jonathan Berzins) and my teammates,” Coster said. “This season I thought I really played well because we were all on the same page as a team. It didn’t finish the way we wanted to with a loss in the playoffs, but I am still super thankful for all the work that went into this year, and it was really one of the best seasons we’ve ever had.”
Lydia Schertz was named second-team all-conference after she was the key cog in Durango’s back line. Schertz was the lone senior on a defensive unit which consisted of three sophomores and a freshman. For a young bunch, Schertz was the anchor, and it showed. The Demons conceded just 22 goals and blanked teams in five games this season.
Kyle Rowland, a sophomore defender, was also named to a second-team for the league after she, alongside Schertz, helped thwart attacks. She scored once this season in a 5-1 win over Delta. She played in 13 of the team’s 15 games this season.
Rounding out the list was Sasha Kozak, and she, too, was no stranger to putting the ball in the back of the net. Kozak scored five goals and added two assists. She found her scoring touch this season after not scoring a goal all of last season.
Kozak’s pace was one of her defining traits and she used it to blow past defenders and score. Her goals included twice against the Academy and also against Skyline, Grand Junction Central and Montrose. She used that same speed in the playoffs and drew a penalty kick, which Coster eventually scored.
The Demons will look to rebuild again under a new coach, after Berzins announced that he had accepted a job as athletic director at Phoenix College in his native Arizona. Next season, DHS will be returning Coster, Jael Larson, who also was a help at forward, goalkeeper Emily Badgley and a large portion of its midfield and defenders.
bploen@durangoherald.com
