Herald Staff Report
The ninth-ranked Durango High School girls soccer team will face No. 8 Mullen Saturday at 1 p.m in Denver in the second round of the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 4A Girls Soccer Championships. Durango is coming off its first playoff win since 2008 with a 6-0 win against Cañon City on Wednesday.
Mullen (11-5) used two second-half goals to beat No. 25 Palmer Ridge 3-1 on Wednesday. The Mustangs have an edge in experience as they were one of the final four teams standing last season before an overtime loss in the semifinal to eventual 4A champion Lewis-Palmer ended their season.
This season, Mullen is led by sophomore Macy Clem’s 10 goals as the Mustangs have outscored opponents 42-22. The Mustangs only allowed more than one goal in two games this season.
The No. 8 and No. 9 seeds are as evenly matched as expected. Durango (12-4) has outscored opponents by the same margin, 40-20, and they’re on a roll. The Demons have won 11 of their last 12 heading into the round of 16.
The teams have two common opponents, as they both lost to Class 5A teams Cherokee Trail and Cherry Creek. Mullen lost to Cherry Creek 3-1 and dropped a 3-2 contest to Cherokee Trail. The Demons were shut out by Cherry Creek 6-0 and lost to Cherokee Trail 4-0 in two of the season’s first four games.
