One hustle play of Mads Bundgaard and the left cleat of Saylor Longfellow extended the season for the Durango High School boys soccer team.
Trailing 1-0 with a little more than 12 minutes to play in the first round of the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 4A Boys Soccer Championships, Bundgaard forced a turnover by the back line of Denver West and claimed the ball to the left of the 18-yard box. The Denver West defender who turned the ball over scrambled to reclaim possession and attempted a slide tackle on the Durango senior and was called for the foul.
Because he was the last defender between Bundgaard and the goal, the player was issued a red card and ejected from the game, forcing Denver West to play with 10 men for the remainder of play.
Durango took advantage, and Longfellow, a sophomore, went on to score two goals with assists from Blake McClain and Elijah Fenton to give the No. 12 Demons a 2-1 win in extra time against No. 21 Denver West on Wednesday at the Riverview Sports Complex in Durango.
“This feels amazing,” said Longfellow, son of Ellis Longfellow, Stacee Santi and John and Shanan Wells. “This has been the dream all season, to move on through the playoffs. The fact I could help my team out with that feels great.”
Longfellow’s goals came in similar fashion, as he flicked centering passes on goal by raising his left foot behind him and redirecting the ball with the bottom of his cleat.
“We’ve been working on that all season,” he said. “We struggled with it but it kind of finally just clicked, and we got to finish two goals.”
Longfellow’s first goal came with five minutes left in the match. The Demons picked up their intensity after the red card issued to the Cowboys, and McClain took advantage of a corner kick. He played a low ball into the box that found Longfellow’s boot.
“At those moments, I’m telling myself, ‘Blake, don’t screw this up,’” said McClain, son of Scott and Sue McClain. “I’m glad I could contribute to the team, and Saylor had a great goal.”
Denver West nearly won the game in extra time with a long free kick, but a shot from Carlos Bohena hit the cross bar before it could finish dipping into goal. However, it appeared Durango goalkeeper Trey Furnas would have made the save if it was on frame.
The Demons took advantage of the miss and started to put more pressure on the Cowboys’ third of the field. Fenton, another sophomore, made an aggressive run left of goal and was able to play in a pass to Longfellow.
“I saw open space down the line and got a great ball out to me,” said Fenton, son of Mike and Wendy Fenton. “I knew I had to drive the line and cut across the box. Our strikers were in there making good runs, and I just hoped someone would get on the end of it.”
The goal ended the game Denver West had controlled for 68 minutes and ended the Cowboys’ season. The team’s coaches were frustrated by the red card, and the team immediately grabbed its possessions and left for the team bus. Head coach Matias Sanchez didn’t make himself available for comment.
Durango had trouble stringing passes together and figuring out the defensive formation of the Cowboys early. The Demons couldn’t get out wide and were being funneled into the center of the field. The Cowboys won nearly every 50-50 ball until Bundgaard stepped up with his big hustle play.
“They did a good job beating us to the ball, and they wore us out with that,” DHS head coach Dalon Parker said. “For Mads to go in there and win that ball – first of all we took him from the back and put him up top on offense – and for him to track that ball was incredible. In 89 minutes, we won one 50-50 ball all match, and it led to something beneficial for us. Really big moment of fighting.”
Durango went down 1-0 with two minutes to play in the first half when a long pass found Cristian Catalan. Furnas came out of his goal hoping to help start the Demons’ next attack, and he couldn’t get back in goal fast enough to get a hand on Catalan’s chip toward goal.
The Demons could have hung their heads at several points in the match, but the red card was enough to lift the crowd and team’s spirits.
Parker saw a resilient team on the field.
“All the complaining of giving up four penalty kicks at Denver North, breaking down against Montrose and being in close games all season, you can see how it has built up in this team,” he said. “They’ve learned from those experiences. If we hadn’t been in those games, I don’t know if we would’ve been able to do it (Wednesday).”
The Demons were in a similar position a year ago and lost in the second round on the road at Littleton. Now, the Demons will face a similar trip to No. 5 Longmont, who beat No. 28 Erie 1-0 on Wednesday.
That game will be played on turf, so Parker is hoping his team can get some practice time at Ignacio High School’s turf field before Tuesday.
Parker said the next step for the program is to reach the third or fourth round of the tournament, and he believes the family atmosphere of the Demons along with their skill can get them there this season.
“First in our hearts and skill in our feet,” Parker said. “That’s where our program is headed. We’re not here to be bad boys. That’s not us. We want to be the team with passion and fire in our hearts and skill in our feet, that’s it.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
