Ayden Casillas’ right leg isn’t a secret anymore.
Colton Casillas’ won’t be a relative unknown much longer.
The brothers were largely responsible for the Bayfield boys soccer 2-0 victory over Alamosa on Thursday afternoon. Bayfield moved to 4-4 overall and 1-0 in the 3A Intermountain League; Alamosa dropped to 0-5 overall and 0-1 in the 3A Intermountain League.
Launching multiple free kicks more than 40 yards with ease, the younger brother, just a sophomore, ably forced visiting Alamosa back into their own end to try preventing home-run rushes on sophomore goalkeeper Tony Heredia. In the 39th minute, one such Colton Casillas special finally yielded Bayfield’s breakthrough in the teams’ league opener.
Booming a restart high over the midfield line and deep into empty space behind AHS’ back line, Casillas’ towering kick allowed Ayden Casillas, a senior, to chase it down while sprinting at top speed, and beat Heredia for a 1-0 lead.
Fortunately for BHS, it wasn’t just an equalizer; in the 24th, Bayfield senior goalie Orion Botsford had denied Mean Moose junior Gabriel Mora with a confident dive to his right and freshman Oscar Ramirez put a follow-up shot over Botsford’s crossbar.
Ayden Casillas then turned a lengthy defensive clearance into a breakaway goal in the 54th minute, and with Botsford correctly reading several long-range Alamosa tries, as well as dropping down to stop a Mora shot locked on Botsford’s near post, the Wolverines ended up with a 2-0 shutout.
The Mean Moose will host Durango on Tuesday. Bayfield will then welcome Telluride (5-2-0 overall) on Tuesday to complete a four-match homestand.
