The Durango girls soccer team had possession for most of the game but was locked in a battle with Crested Butte on Thursday afternoon at home. Senior midfielder Peyton Cioppa had the game-winning goal early in the second half, giving the Demons a 2-1 win.
A lot of the game was played in the midfield as the Demons struggled to connect passes and make effective moves in the attacking third. Other than Crested Butte’s lone goal, the Titans didn’t challenge Durango junior goalkeeper Ryne Neiman much.
“Our game plan today was executed pretty well,” Durango head coach Zac Keeler said. “We wanted to try to make them play it to certain sides of the field and we got them to do it, which gave us a lot of opportunities. We found the post and their keeper too frequently, but it was nice to see what we were able to do with the ball.”
Durango improved to 2-3 overall and has won two consecutive games since its 0-3 start. Sophomore defender Ellis Campbell scored a goal for the Demons along with Cioppa. Senior forward Emma Hyder had an assist. Neiman made two saves for Durango.
Crested Butte dropped to 5-2-2 overall. Brie Polster scored the lone goal for the Titans.
The Demons controlled most of the possession for the first 10 minutes but struggled to convert possession into chances in the attacking third. Durango also had a few shaky possessions in the back with poor passes that led to turnovers. Durango fans were relieved to see the Titans not convert.
Campbell gave Durango a 1-0 from an unlikely place. She took a corner kick from the left side and drove it low and toward the six-yard box. The ball missed everyone in the box and found the right bottom corner for a 1-0 lead with 30:15 left.
Keeler said Campbell used her experience and the opportunity to place her corner kick in a dangerous spot.
The Demons continued to pressure Crested Butte and the Titans struggled to keep possession. Durango sophomore Lila Scherer-Sickler had two great chances from the middle of the field, with one hitting the post.
Crested Butte bounced back with one of the few opportunities it had in the first half. Durango was caught off guard by a Crested Butte cross from the right side. The ball slowly made its way to the left side and Polster was in the right spot, settling the ball and placing a slow-rolling ball into the lower right corner. Her goal tied the game at 1-1 with 17:13 left.
“When we're trying to play from the back, playing from the back often gives you some mistakes,” Keeler said. “We're trying to make sure that we're all on the same page. We got caught off guard by their attack at that moment and it showed. But we're building our chemistry and we're trying to make sure that those things don't happen.”
Durango and Crested Butte mostly battled for possession in the midfield for the last 10 minutes of the first half. Durango had a few decent chances but struggled to connect passes in the attacking third. Crested Butte couldn’t find another great chance and the game went into halftime.
The Demons got on the board early in the second half. Peyton Cioppa received a pass in the middle of the 18-yard box, settled it well and then finished through some contact to put Durango up 2-1 with 33 minutes to go.
“It just comes with continuing to play together,” Cioppa said about the offense. “We lost a lot of our seniors last year that were a big part of our game, so just continuing to find our chemistry together up top. We're going to keep taking shots and we'll find the back of the net.”
Durango had most of the possession in the middle of the second half but didn’t have the right pass or the right one-on-one moves for a third goal. Neiman wasn’t called into action much, but she made a nice stop with about 20 minutes to go after Crested Butte got through Durango’s back line.
A turnover by Durango’s defense led to a great chance for Crested Butte. A Durango defender turned the ball over from about 20 yards out. The Crested Butte forward dribbled toward goal and was tripped up just outside the 18-yard box, avoiding a penalty kick.
The Crested Butte forward was awarded a free kick from the left side from about 19 yards out with 10 minutes to go. She struck it low and into the Durango wall. The rebound came back out to a Crested Butte player who shot it right at Neiman and she made the save.
Durango was a little sloppy with its passing at the back late in the second half, leading to turnovers and Crested Butte chances. The Demons recovered though, cleared the ball away and held on to the win.
Next for Durango is another home game on Saturday against Grand Junction at 3 p.m.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
