The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Tough test this week
Vacation is over for the Crested Butte Titans soccer team as they head into the second half of league play. Following a successful road trip through the southwest part of the state, the Titans had one game in the past 10 days against the Lake City Fourteeners.
Lake City is new to the league and the Titans handed the Fourteeners a 9-0 loss earlier this season.
The Titans coaches opted to pull players up from the JV squad, mixing them with a handful of varsity members to get key playing time as the team approaches the last two weeks of league play.
With a handful of varsity players missing games down the stretch due to the October break, the Lake City game was a first look at some players who will be moved into integral roles in two big games against league opponents Center and Alamosa this week.
After a shaky opening 10 minutes of play, the Titans mix gelled rattling off three goals in 20 minutes.
Senior Jake Grogg opened the scoring in the tenth minute, taking a pass from junior Luis Aguirre and poking it by the Lake City goalie.
Five minutes later, sophomore Clifford Gibbens followed on a rebound off a shot from freshman Shannon Costello to net Crested Butte’s second goal.
Freshman Aaron Blunck capped the three-goal outburst striking a corner kick that slipped past the keeper on the near post for a 3-0 Titans lead at halftime.
Crested Butte continued to push the pace in the second half with freshman Pharwit Durgan and Gibbens running the midfield.
Sophomore Marissa Lambert proved dangerous at striker turning on several passes to fire shots. After a couple of misfires, Lambert opted to play the distributor up top and slipped a pass through to Ian Kelly, who drilled his shot to the lower corner for a 4-0 Titans’ lead 10 minutes into the second half.
Outside midfielder Elizabeth Desmarais received a pass wide and found junior Cole Byron open inside the penalty area with a perfect through ball.
Byron settled the pass and drove it past the charging goalkeeper for a 5-0 lead. Five minutes later, Byron dished a pass to Durgan 20 yards out. Durgan surveyed the scene, looking for an open slot to pass but with the Lake City defense collapsed, he decided to shoot, finding a seam to the low corner.
Durgan then set up senior captain and defensive stalwart Sky Egelhoff for Egelhoff’s first high school goal of his prestigious career in the 72nd minute, finishing off the Fourteeners 7-0.
The win improved the Titans’ league record to 5-1; they remain on top of the Region 5 league standings.
“The team is looking spectacular,” says Egelhoff. “We had a few days of lag time but I think we have a good year ahead of us.”
They have two big league tests this week as the Titans host Center on Thursday, October 7 at 4 p.m. at Rainbow and then host Alamosa on Saturday, October 9 at 11 a.m. also at Rainbow Field.
“We’re missing a few key players, but as long as we play our game I’m confident we’ll come out with the win,” says Egelhoff.
