Mother Nature picked up a win when the Bayfield High School boys soccer team met Center on Thursday in Bayfield; the Wolverines and the Vikings had to settle for a draw.
Referees stopped play after 26 minutes with the score tied 1-1, potentially giving the Wolverines their first point of the season.
CHSAA still has to rule on whether the game will count officially or not, but BHS head coach Dave Foster said it probably will need to be rescheduled since the teams hadn’t played at least 40 minutes.
The game was ended primarily because of weather, but concerns about Center making it back home also factored in.
BHS senior Alex Vitagliano scored in the 21st minute to level the game at one. He missed a penalty kick eight minutes earlier when it rang off the post.
“I motivated myself and dug deep, even though it was snowing,” said Vitagliano, son of Dawn and Mike Vitagliano. “I knew I wanted to score a goal in my last home game.”
Sam Whitner put Center (1-9-1, 1-7-1 Region 5) on the board in the 18th minute.
BHS (0-10-1, 0-8-1 3A Region 5) managed to control possession shortly after that.
Vitagliano controlled the ball with heavier touches to keep defenders away from the ball, switched to bright yellow because of the conditions. He beat several Center defenders and slipped the ball past the keeper for the goal.
“It was probably one of the best feelings I’ve had in a really long time, honestly,” Vitagliano said.
The snow and wind picked up after that, forcing Whitner to miss a penalty kick wide left of the goal.
The referees conferred shortly after and eventually called a halt to the game.
Players from both teams shook hands quickly before running off the field to warmth.
“It definitely felt like a win in my book,” Vitagliano said.
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
