Facing more resistance from a provisional CHSAA member school than perhaps expected, the Bayfield Lady Wolverines on Saturday broke a 1-1 halftime tie to clip Windsor Charter Academy 2-1.
“They are a pretty good team with some strong players, who clearly had club experience,” said head coach Chris Zoltowski, credited with a nonleague road win over the eventual 2A or 3A Firebirds. CHSAA will vote later this month whether to approve and classify WCA. “It was physical, but the girls were clearly up to the challenge.”
Senior Emaliah Sawyer scored both goals for BHS (7-6, 2-3 3A Southwestern), with freshman Sydney Rey and sophomore Preslie Wagner earning an assist.
Unfortunately, two goals hadn’t been enough the previous afternoon in a 5-2 loss at Loveland Classical Academy, a 2A Mile High-West member winning its third straight match and improving to 7-5 overall.
“Was everything I expected,” Zoltowski said. “It was 2-2 for the longest time, but sometimes heavy wind can play the 12th man.”
Rey and Wagner accounted for Bayfield’s goals. Junior Kailey Hillegass netted two for the Lady Lions, owning a 23:6 goal differential during their three-match run leading into a May 6 regular-season finale at Westminster Flatirons Academy.
The Lady Wolverines, meanwhile, will wrap up their 2022 slate at 7 p.m. Thursday at home versus Ignacio.
Results from Bayfield’s must-win SWL signoff Tuesday at Alamosa (7-5, 3-1), were unavailable at press time.
Though goals have continued to come for Ignacio girls soccer, but wins have not.
After forcing Montezuma-Cortez to play the full 80 minutes Friday with sophomore Darlyn Mendoza-Lechuga’s 78th-minute marker keeping the hosting Lady Panthers (8-4, 5-1 3A SWL) honest in a 6-1 victory, the Lady Bobcats’ two second-half strikes the next evening pressed Pagosa Springs into likewise focusing on finishing fully a 4-2 home win.
Freshman Elizabeth Currier’s two goals helped the Lady Pirates (5-7, 0-5 3A SWL) stop a three-match slide with only a Thursday trip to Alamosa remaining in their regular season. Senior Kori Lucero and sophomore Nika Hinger each scored once, while Currier and senior goalkeeper Trista Tully each made an assist.
Head coach Alisha Gullion reported Mendoza-Lechuga booked IHS’ first goal, and junior Harmony Reynolds the second via adding oomph to a Trinity Crane try – thus earning Crane an assist – set up by corner shot by junior Laci Brunson.
Caught in their own three-match skid since a 9-0 road win April 22 at Del Norte, the Lady ’Cats dipped to a still-competitive 2-10 overall.
Still 2-4 in the 2A Southwestern, Ignacio will visit Bayfield for the Cinco de Mayo showdown, then finish the regular season Saturday on the road against league power Crested Butte. CB bumped back into the CHSAANow.com Class 2A poll’s top 10 Monday at No. 10. Kickoff in neutral Gunnison at Western Colorado University’s Katy O. Rady Field is set for 1 p.m.
Results from IHS’ Tuesday home match versus league-leading No. 6 Telluride (5-5, 5-0) were unavailable at press time.
