The conditions were cold and miserable at Durango High School on Saturday afternoon. However, Durango girls soccer’s offense was red-hot against Grand Junction, with the Demons scoring three first-half goals and cruising to a 4-0 win.
Durango’s offense was dynamic with great ball movement, good spacing and finishing. Grand Junction couldn’t handle it and couldn’t handle the ball on offense for long before turning it over in the tricky conditions.
“We executed our game plan pretty well,” Durango head coach Zac Keeler said. “Each team that we're up against, we're just ready, especially in the beginning. In the last game, it was 10 minutes and this one was pretty much the whole first half. We wanted to shoot often and today, we executed that.”
Keeler said he wanted to limit the touches of Grand Junction’s key players, senior Sedona Czarnecki and sophomore Micah Moralez, and he wanted his team to press hard during the Tigers’ goal kicks.
Durango improved to 3-3 overall and 2-0 in the 4A/5A Southwestern League after starting the season 0-3 overall.
Senior Emma Hyder, sophomore Ellis Campbell, junior Josie Phare and senior Peyton Cioppa scored for the Demons.
Grand Junction fell to 3-2-1 overall and 1-1 in the 4A/5A Southwestern League.
The game started in poor conditions, with sleet falling at a good rate, making the field and the ball super slippery. Durango had multiple chances early with a few great corner kicks in the first five minutes.
Durango was the aggressor early and it paid off. The Demons had most of the possession and did a good job winning the ball back when they lost it. Senior midfielder Emily McVaugh had a great steal on the left side of Grand Junction’s 18-yard box. She crossed it into Hyder, who showed composure with a nice finish into the left corner for a 1-0 lead with 31:12 left.
“Emma's first touch on that left-footed hit, right into the goal was beautiful,” Keeler said. “But that was why we felt like we could get those opportunities was keeping that press and making sure that they didn't get on our half.”
The Demons continued to control the game and Grand Junction struggled to maintain possession in the tricky conditions.
Scherer-Sickler’s skill and a little bit of luck led to the second goal. She took on a defender down the left wing and made her way to goal. She attempted a through ball that was deflected and rolled toward goal in the slippery conditions. All of a sudden, Campbell appeared before the goalie could pick it up. She settled the ball and placed it into the left corner for a 2-0 lead with 20:22 left in the first.
The wave of offense production continued only four minutes later. Durango was moving the ball really well, making runs and finding the open space. Cioppa received a pass from the right side, settled the ball and finished over the keeper’s head from 20 yards out for a 3-0 lead with 16 minutes left.
Durango never let up with its pressure to end the half. Junior goalkeeper Ryne Neiman wasn’t challenged to end the first half as Durango led 3-0 at half.
Grand Junction came out in the second half and challenged the Demons’ defense with more possession and opportunities around the goal. However, the Durango defense, including Neiman, were on top of things.
The Tigers had a free kick from about 25 yards out after a foul in the middle of the field with 27 minutes left. The ball was struck low and bounced around, but Neiman showed her authority by grabbing the ball and holding in it in the slippery conditions with players around her.
Durango didn’t have the same dynamic offense in the second half. Passes weren’t as crisp as in the first half with a lot of passes running out of bounds on the quick and wet Durango turf.
With about six minutes left, the Demons struck again. Senior defender Lilly Fitzpatrick played a great long ball from around midfield. Phare ran onto it and hit it over the keeper and into the net for a 4-0 lead.
Durango plays at Montrose on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
