Tuesday's soccer showdown at IHS Field fielded the tough Bayfield Wolverines against an Ignacio team which took two forms:
1) The vulnerable Ignacio, susceptible to early and often demoralizing onslaughts-like Wolverine senior Maddy Duran's four consecutive first-half scores, helping the visitors build a 5-0 lead going into halftime.
2) The venerable Ignacio, which pressured and hounded Ridgway last Friday in a 5-1 loss much closer than the scoreboard showed, and which Bayfield finally faced for a frenzied final four minutes under the lights.
"Usually we go in with an intense mentality, and sometimes it doesn't often work in the first half," said IHS junior defender Ryley Webb. "But we definitely represent that in the second half. That's just how things go for us; we're a second-half kind of team."
The Bobcats were trailing 9-nil after BHS sophomore Misty Helton marked against IHS freshman Lanie Webb in the 76th minute and junior Makenna Cowan followed with a perfect free kick over a multi-player wall in the 77th.
Still scrapping away at their ranked competitors, the 'Cats managed to force the final kickoff all the way down inside the Wolverines' 18 and just outside goalie Bryannah Isiordia's reach when Ignacio soph Karely Mendoza managed something of a shot.
Catching everyone on the pitch off-guard, including the officials, Isiordia whirled 180 degrees and stretched out her hands hoping to spot the high-bouncing ball on its rise into the goal mouth.
"At that point I just listened to what I've got told by Savannah," Isiordia said, referring to another BHS goalie, Savannah Kaufmann. "When they take the extra touch, just turn around and if you don't have it.look up!"
Possibly using her own frame to obstruct the officials' closer view - the Ignacio bench on the opposite side of midfield thought they'd prevented a shutout - Isiordia clutched the ball for dear 3A/2A Southwestern League life and booted it to safety as stoppage time rapidly expired.
"I was definitely yelling at the keeper," BHS senior Lexa Fleming recalled, of the moment she and every black jersey voiced the ball's dangerous whereabouts. "Very proud of Bryannah stepping up.amazing tonight."
The Bobcats, however, stuck to their guns concerning the questionable play.
"I think I got it," grinned Mendoza as she left the ground. "I'm still counting it!"
The night's final count, however, was Bayfield 9, Ignacio 0. Kaufmann-switched to an attacker-converted a Duran pass in the 65th minute for BHS' sixth goal, then finished a Cowan feed in the 69th. All told, the Wolverines outshot the 'Cats 45 to 2, held a 28-2 shots-on-goal advantage, and gained six corners to IHS' none.
Webb, however, made 19 saves for the Bobcats, including a 15th-minute stop on a Cowan penalty kick seconds after Cowan had scored a goal.
"Playing under the lights was definitely.fun, kind of gets our energy up, gets our confidence up and we play a lot better as a team," Fleming said. "Ignacio.they were playing really great, but when we play with confidence we play way better. We had this opportunity to learn different positions, play with different people.and make different connections and different runs."
Added Isiordia: "I think overall we did good.especially in the first half-made those 1-2 passes we've been working hard on. We got some underclassmen in, and still.performed the best way we wanted to." She made two saves in the match.
Up next for Bayfield (7-1-1, 5-0-1 SWL) will be today's 4 p.m. start in Pagosa Springs (6-2, 6-1).
"It's going to be tough," said Isiordia, "but we're going to play.what we know and the game we love."
APPRECIATE THE IRONY: The fact Mendoza nearly got Ignacio (0-8, 0-8) a goal, when anyone would have expected IHS to be out of gas, was also notable because she happened to be Oscar Cosio's only substitute with regulars Cortney Wilson-Baker, Gibran Silva, Shyla Jackson and Sharmaine Price all unavailable.
"Ignacio really never has had too many subs," Ryley Webb said. "And I think as we go throughout the season we learn how to cope with that. We learn how to use having so little people as an advantage."
SCORING SUMMARY: B-M.Duran 12, M.Duran 18, M.Duran 31, M.Duran (ast S.Turner) 33, Isiordia 38, Kaufmann (ast M.Duran) 65, Kaufmann (ast Cowan) 69, Helton 76, Cowan 77. Goalies: B-Kaufmann (0 saves)/Isiordia (2 saves), I-L.Webb (19 saves).
CHSAANOW.COM CLASS 3A POLL, 4/18: 1.Englewood Kent Denver, 2.Denver Colorado Academy, 3.Westminster The Academy, 4.Broomfield Jefferson Academy, 5.Fort Collins Liberty Common, 6.Lafayette Peak to Peak, 7.Colorado Springs Fountain Valley, 8.Highlands Ranch SkyView Academy, 9.Parker Lutheran, 10.Colorado Springs St. Mary's.
(Others receiving votes-Sterling, Salida, Manitou Springs, Englewood St. Mary's Academy, Denver Science & Tech-Stapleton, BAYFIELD, Colorado Springs Christian, Aspen, Federal Heights The Pinnacle.)
