Even in defeat, the Durango High School boys soccer team showed its quality Tuesday.
After a stunning 3-2 win Saturday in Colorado Springs to upset No. 12 The Classical Academy in the opening round of the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 4A boys soccer state tournament, the No. 21 Demons went back on the road to Colorado Springs for their second-round matchup.
This time, it was No. 5 Air Academy awaiting in the brutally tough quadrant of the bracket. Though DHS head coach Aaron Champenoy thought his team was the better side the opening 40 minutes, the Demons trailed 2-0 at halftime and never recovered in a 3-0 loss that ended Durango’s season.
“Honestly, I thought we came out and played maybe the best first half of soccer all year,” Champenoy said. “We were controlling possession and tempo in their half. I couldn’t have been more proud of the guys and the effort we put on the road against a good team. I think we didn’t let them look as good as they really are in that first half.”
Durango (11-6) fell behind quicky in the match. It was a counter attack by the host Kadets (13-4). At the edge of the goal box, a foul was called against the Demons to set up a close-range Air Academy free kick. An Air Academy player stepped up and struck a perfect shot over the top of the Durango wall and over the head of DHS goalkeeper Caleb McGrath, who had the game-winning goal Saturday in overtime against The Classical Academy.
“To me, it seemed like a soft foul early in the game at the edge of the box,” Champenoy said. “Nevertheless, they stepped up, beat our wall and got the goal.”
Durango again controlled play after the initial goal, but another Kadet counterattack had the Demons off guard. This time, a foul would be called inside the goal box to give the Kadets a penalty kick they would bury for a 2-0 lead in the 15th minute.
“They got into our box, but he was going away from goal at the time on the edge of the box. The ref decided it was a PK,” Champenoy said. “They stepped up and knocked it in.”
Champenoy said his team didn’t make any drastic changes down 2-0 and continued to control the ball. Several Durango shots were missed, including one that hit the post and a Leland Heinicke header that went over the cross bar.
That trend continued early in the second half until Champenoy thought his team was losing momentum, and the fatigue of two trips to Colorado Springs in four days had begun to take a toll.
“Eventually, we pulled a defender and went with an extra attacker,” Champenoy said. “Shortly after that, they got their third goal in the last 10 minutes of the game.
“It’s never easy when you drive 12 hours between Friday and Saturday, come back home Sunday and turn around and do it again Monday and Tuesday. It’s tough on the legs and the mental side of the game, but the guys handled it well. They came out, battled and played so well, and I’m so proud of the brand of football and quality put out there.”
Air Academy advanced to the quarterfinals to face No. 4 Silver Creek (14-1-2).
The Demons will lose eight seniors from this year’s team, including Heinicke and McGrath. But Champenoy is very excited about the young players returning, including a pair of freshmen who played valuable minutes this season.
“We lose some really strong players, but our young guys are good,” Champenoy said. “Cedar Newman started the last two playoff games as a freshman and was one of the better players on the field. Nick Korte also was big for us as only a freshman.
“Our junior varsity won league for the second year in a row and went 12-1, with our only loss to Battle Mountain. The future looks good, and we’ve had a change of culture with the year-round weights and performance training that’s being done. The players are growing as athletes.”
jlivingston@ durangoherald.com
