On Saturday afternoon, the Durango girls soccer team did not look like a winless squad that had given up 13 goals in its first three games. The Demons never let Montrose look comfortable anywhere on the field and cruised to a 3-0 win.
Durango controlled possession with some good passing and movement off the ball. The Demons’ defense played well together and shut down some skilled Montrose forwards. Demons junior goalkeeper Ryne Neiman wasn’t tested a lot but was strong when she was.
The Demons got a lot of their offense from the wings, with great passes into the middle of the field. Durango showed good composure with all three goals to the delight of the Durango faithful.
“We got two goals off players coming off the bench,” Durango girls varsity head coach Zac Keeler said. “So the bench players really stepped up. The starters set the tempo; trying to shut down Ellie Duncan (Montrose) was a difficult thing. Montrose has some great tactics and without us coaches having to say anything, our players just picked up on them.”
Senior Lauren McClellan was awarded Women of the Match for Durango after shutting down Duncan, according to Keeler. He said her defense on Duncan gave the Demons the support to find opportunities.
Durango improved to 1-3 overall and 1-0 in the 4A/5A Southwestern League. Seniors Josie Phare, Emma Hyder and Bella Saren each scored goals for the Demons while sophomore Lila Scherer-Sickler, sophomore Ellis Campbell and senior Emily McVaugh each had one assist for the Demons. Neiman had four saves.
Montrose dropped to 4-4 overall and 1-3 in the 4A/5A Southwestern League.
Neither team could threaten the opposing goalkeeper in the first 15 minutes. Both defenses were solid and neither offense could find that connecting pass from the midfield into the attacking third.
Durango started creating some chances on the right side about 15 minutes in. Ellis Campbell made some nice runs down the right side and the Demons’ midfielders found her with a few through balls. Campbell delivered a few promising crosses but couldn’t connect with a teammate at the far post.
Keeler attributed the slow start on offense to home-game nerves. He said the Demons’ home field is difficult to play with how fast the turf is. Therefore, he talked to Campbell about how the team could better get her the ball.
The Demons were a little sloppy with their passes on the back line in the middle of the half. Defenders either couldn’t settle the ball or couldn’t connect on a pass. Luckily for Durango fans, the Demons quickly recovered and shut down any Red Hawk opportunity.
Montrose’s best chance came with about 16 minutes left. After a long ball, Montrose got the ball in the box and had a good look on goal, but it was blocked by a Demon and was taken away.
Durango struck first shortly after that. Scherer-Sickler got the ball on the right wing, took a touch toward goal and passed it to Phare, who was around the top of the 18-yard box. Phare took a touch to her left and finished in the left side of the net to put the Demons up 1-0 with 15:24 left.
“In preseason, when I saw Josie playing with us, the thing that I was looking most forward to with her was her strike,” Keeler said. “So we put her in knowing that she was going to get an opportunity and we are glad that she had that chance.”
Phare’s goal really seemed to get things going for Durango’s offense. The Demons were connecting on long balls and through balls and were challenging the Red Hawks’ defense and goalkeeper. Durango had two corners shortly after its first goal.
Durango’s defense did a great job of containing Montrose’s forwards in the first half. The Demons’ defense had a great shape, allowing defenders to be in a good help position if a Demon defender got beat. There was a brief pause in the action when a toddler ran out on the field, drawing many whistles and a parent to scoop up their kid. Durango led 1-0 at halftime
The Demons had a few free kicks early that were close but Durango increased its lead to 2-0 with 28 minutes left. A good cross was played in by Campbell from the left side to senior Emma Hyder, who finished into the left side of the goal.
Durango continued to pressure the Montrose defense with possession of the ball, solid passing and good runs. Campbell intercepted a poor Montrose pass to the outside and had a great look on goal from the right side. She hit a hard shot into the keeper with about 18 minutes left.
Montrose had a few chances late in the second to keep the Demons’ defense on their toes but Durango cleared away the chances.
Saren got on the scoreboard after she broke through the middle of the Montrose defense and got on top of a McVaugh pass. Saren finished to put Durango up 3-0 with 8:40 to go.
Durango stays at home to play Crested Butte on Friday at 5 p.m. Keeler said Crested Butte is a formidable foe and a veteran team.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
