A popular saying in the fighting world is styles make fights. Two contrasting styles were on display Friday night at Dirks Field at Fort Lewis College when Durango boys soccer and Grand Junction faced off.
Grand Junction played long balls and tried to run its way past the Durango defense. The Demons possessed the ball for the majority of the game and connected pass after pass on a possession.
The Tigers’ style paid off in the end. Grand Junction’s Luis Mendez scored two goals in the last 10 minutes of the game to stun the Demons and give Grand Junction the win 3-2.
“We came out a little nervy in the first half which led to their lead,” Durango head coach Sean Ackerman said. “We kind of gave them the goal there at the beginning. But a lot of that was down to nerves, you could see it through the warm-up and all that. So at halftime, we said let's play and be aggressive. We definitely turned it around in the second half, to the point where it even showed on the scoreboard. It’s just about finishing the job. But I'm proud of them with how they came out in the second half.”
Durango fell to 4-1-1 overall and 2-1 in the 5A/4A Southwestern League with the loss. Grand Junction improved to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the 5A/4A Southwestern League with the win.
Mendez had all three goals for Grand Junction. Durango junior forward Dylan Burns had both goals for the Demons. Senior defender Duncan Madrigal had an assist.
Both teams struggled to possess until the Demons made a critical error with a turnover in their half. Mendez sprinted toward the goal and finished to put Grand Junction up 1-0 seven minutes in.
The Demons responded with a few chances in the next few minutes. Burns had a shot from outside the 18-yard line which just missed the upper right corner and hit the crossbar. Senior midfielder Patrick Fulmer had another good look as the Demons settled in offensively with 25 minutes left.
Junior goalkeeper Quinn Harrison bailed out Durango after the Demons had another turnover in their half. A Grand Junction striker was set up to score from about six yards out. Harrison made a diving save to keep the deficit 1-0.
Mendez continued to cause problems with his speed and created a great chance that was missed wide with six minutes left. Durango continued to fire shots from outside the 18-yard box but couldn’t find the back of the net. The Demons continued to pressure the goal but couldn’t score before halftime and trailed 1-0.
“This week we were working on long balls and balls over the top and tracking runners,” Ackerman said. “We definitely let some go today. So that's on me to do a better job of creating a drill that really hits home and they're really learning and absorbing all that. So we'll address that this week for sure.”
Durango continued to pressure Grand Junction to start the second half with its possession. Durango would control possession in the midfield, try and play balls into the 18-yard box that weren’t successful.
Finally, a free kick from about 40 yards out by Madrigal was flicked over the goalkeeper’s head by Burns for the tying goal with 29 minutes to go.
The Demons continued to dominate possession in the second half while Grand Junction continued to pick up fouls. The Tigers didn’t have the opportunity to play as many long balls as in the first half.
Durango broke through again after a Grand Junction turnover in its own half. Burns dribbled down the right side and fired a shot low and hard into the right side of the net from about 20 yards out to give the Demons a 2-1 lead.
Shortly after the goal, Flint Gervais had an attempt from the left side but it was barely saved by the Tiger keeper. Gervais had another attempt off a corner with 15 minutes left that was deflected wide of the net.
The Demons looked like they had more power and stamina late in the game. Durango constantly pressured Grand Junction and peppered the Tigers’ keeper with shots.
Mendez had a rare chance in the second half and dribbled right up the right side forcing Harrison to make a stop. He was called for a foul inside the penalty box. This led to a yellow card for the Demons and a penalty kick. Mendez finished it to tie the game at 2-2 with 5:30 left.
Only 30 seconds later, Durango fell asleep on defense and Mendez kicked the ball over Harrison’s head and then went after it and finished on an open net to give the Tigers the lead.
“The third goal was just they were shellshocked,” Ackerman said. “In those moments, you have to be responsive and just react to the situation and shake it off. We were just a little bit caught on our heels.”
Ackerman also said he brought a defender off after the penalty kick to go for the win which backfired.
The Demons are back at home on Thursday against Piedra Vista at 5 p.m.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
