League rivals met on the soccer field Wednesday in Montrose. After an early barrage from the host Indians, Durango High School fought back to earn a fourth consecutive win.
The DHS boys (8-1, 3-0 5A/4A Southwestern League) were struck early by the play of Montrose (3-5, 1-1 SWL), but a goal from Jack Beattie helped the team carry momentum into halftime with the match tied 1-1. The Demons would take a 3-1 lead in the final 10 minutes of the match before the game ended in a 3-2 win.
“It’s a good win for us on the road against a very hard-working Montrose team,” DHS head coach Aaron Champenoy said. “They came out extremely fast and caught us by surprise early in the match. I thought we responded well after making some adjustments and controlled the remainder of the rest of the first half.”
Durango’s Leland Heinicke picked up the second goal for his team. The unassisted strike put the Demons up for good despite an inspired half of play from the Indians.
Corbin Miller added an unassisted goal for DHS in the 73rd minute before Montrose added a second goal in the final minute of regulation.
“Montrose fought back and put us under a lot of pressure for a good spell of the second half,” Champenoy said. “I felt our midfield controlled a lot of the tempo of the match, and Leland Heinicke gave us a boost when we needed it with the go-ahead goal.”
Beattie’s score in the first half came with an assist from Lance Townsend. DHS freshman Levi Larson made eight saves in goal.
“Larson came up with some big saves late in the second half to help us get the win,” Champenoy said.
DHS will host Fruita Monument (3-3-1, 1-1 SWL) on Saturday.
The Demons entered the week ranked seventh in the RPI formulated by the Colorado High School Activities Association to determine state playoff seeding.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
