SAN MIGUEL COUNTY – Knowing his team was soon to play its first home match of the 2025 season, Aaron Anderson wasn’t all that concerned Saturday afternoon by a potential maiden victory eluding his Wolverines girls soccer team.
The varsity’s new head coach wanted most to see improvement after a season-opening 3-0 loss on March 25 at 4A Grand Junction Central and on a mostly sunny day in Telluride he did. Even if it was visible only in the margin of a 1-0 defeat to Telluride shown on Judy Long Memorial Field’s scoreboard.
“We don’t really feel comfortable with what we have happening, as far as losing,” Anderson said, following a 1-0 loss to THS. “But we know that we’ve actually been able to play our style – which is about possession – in both games and I think we’ve pretty much had if not as many, then more chances than both these teams.”
Anderson said he was proud of his young team for their work ethic since the beginning of preseason.
Put on the defensive by the hosting Miners (2-5 overall, 0-1 2A Intermountain) ever since Telluride sophomore Eadie O’Callaghan missed a point-blank gift set up in the fourth minute by Miners senior Sofia Martin, Bayfield (0-2, 0-0 3A Intermountain) settled in for the long haul when junior goalkeeper Lily Muir stopped a hard shot taken by THS senior Elle Owen in the ninth minute.
Muir also came up big in denying sophomore Emily Tuohy in the 13th and BHS remained unscathed even after a frightening sequence that saw O’Callaghan miss wide right in the 19th minute, then wide left in the 21st. The Wolverines failed to register a shot until sophomore Mia Sager put a 32nd-minute free kick wide left of goalie Abby Vidal.
The game remained scoreless at halftime.
Rey nearly broke the ice in the 47th minute but, on a counterattack, zipped a breakaway try wide right of Vidal. Martin would score after intercepting Bayfield sophomore defender Kambria Bailey’s attempted 56th-minute clearance pass, intended for nearby freshman Grace Brown and coolly kicking it over a drawn-out Muir.
“It was her first start in goal – she didn’t start in Grand Junction – and her distribution was excellent, her communication was excellent,” Anderson said about Muir. “She commanded the box really well. Unfortunately we weren’t marking well enough and she got chipped. But for the whole match, I’d say that was pretty good.”
With the end of a four-match losing streak in sight, Martin threatened to add an insurance goal in the 78th but shot wide right of Muir. But with BHS unable to pierce the Lady Miners’ back line in the waning seconds, THS’ 1-0 lead proved enough.
The Wolverines will begin league play by hosting Montezuma-Cortez on April 8.
