The Durango High School boys soccer team reached the quarterfinals for only the third time in the school’s history on Saturday.
“We were chasing history and hoping to add to it,” said DHS head coach Aaron Champenoy.
But the No. 5 Demons came up short against No. 4 Denver North, 3-0, ending its record run.
“We had a great season; unfortunately, we didn’t show up on the road versus a good Denver North team,” Champenoy said. “We looked sluggish, not ready for the game.”
DHS still kept Denver North out of the final third for the most part, Champenoy said, but the Vikings capitalized on set pieces.
Denver North scored in the sixth minute with a header after a throw-in.
Then, in the 20th minute, the Vikings added a second goal on a long free kick.
“We didn’t handle the free kick well,” Champenoy said. “It bounced around, and they were able to get a touch on it.”
The coach said they adjusted and calmed down in the second half, which led to DHS getting more shots and possession time than Denver North.
“We had a couple chances in the first 10 minutes, but just missed,” Champenoy said.
Late in the game, DHS goalie Fred Reiter came out for a 50/50 challenge and won the ball, but got a red card on the play.
“It was a hard challenge, but I don’t think it was malicious,” Champenoy said.
With Durango playing a man down, Denver North added another goal in the last minute.
“I felt we were good enough to win; we just weren’t sharp enough,” the coach said.
Denver North will now play No. 1 Northfield the semifinals. No. 6 Battle Mountain, which DHS beat in double overtime earlier in the season, 3-2. will play No. 2 Mullen in the other semi.
Even with the loss, the Demons still surpassed what most of their predecessors accomplished.
“With that record, it was the second most successful season in program history,” Champenoy said, referring to Durango’s 14-2-2 final record. In 2016, the team reached the state semifinals.
Durango had 18 different players score goals this season, helping them outscore their opponents 76-17. Junior Cedar Newman and senior Sam Carozza each scored 12 goals to lead DHS.
“It was a special group,” Champenoy said. “The team chemistry came together really well. We had a good balance of skill and creativity balanced with hard work and gritty determination.”
The coach said the team’s senior starters Ryan Bell, Carozza, Harrison Beattie and David Smagacz led by example this year, and juniors Newman, Reiter and Nik Korte also had good seasons.
“Saturday’s game isn’t indicative to how good we are,” Champenoy said. “I’m super-proud of the group for what we were able to accomplish. Us making the quarterfinals, hopefully it sets us up for success next year. I told them to hold on to that feeling (after Saturday’s loss). We have unfinished business.”
