Titans soccer falls in first round of state tournament in Denver

Finish season 9-4-2

Following an incredible run in the final week of the regular season, the Crested Butte Titans soccer team fell in the first round of the state tournament to Colorado Academy 2-0.
It’s always a tough pill to swallow for both the players and the coaches—especially this year after the Titans had an uncharacteristically strong finish to their season.
Typically, the Titans are somewhere near the top of the standings heading into the final week of play only to be tripped up by the October break.
This year was almost the exact opposite.
The Titans were sitting in fourth place and had two big games against Telluride and Ridgway to finish the season.
The team rallied to win both and finish the season in second place, earning a trip to the 3A state tournament as the 20th seed.
They had their work cut out for them as they drew Colorado Academy in the first round, a perennial state powerhouse.
But with momentum on their side, hopes were high heading into the big game.
“Everyone was excited,” says senior captain Ben Reaman. “The energy from the entire team from the freshmen up to the seniors was awesome. The team was looking good going in.”
Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed early as the Titans opened the game playing tentatively, allowing Colorado Academy to set the pace.
“There were nerves. There wasn’t the confidence that we had the final week of the regular season,” says coach Mike Martin. “Warming up, you could just feel the kids were intimidated.”
Sophomore goalkeeper Ian Dethloff pulled off numerous big saves in the first 10 minutes to keep the game locked in a 0-0 tie. Colorado Academy kept pressing and when a striker broke free in the penalty area he was taken down by a Titans defender and awarded a penalty kick.
Colorado Academy converted on the ensuing free kick to take a 1-0 lead and then struck again 10 minutes later to build a 2-0 lead by the 30th minute.
“The first 25 to 30 minutes they were nervous and they hadn’t seen that pace since Classical Academy earlier in the year,” says Martin.
Remarkably, it wasn’t until then that the Titans picked up the pace and started playing their brand of soccer.
Quick transitions to the weak side by Reaman, hard work from senior strikers Luis Aguirre and Collin Dill and wheels from junior midfielder Jesse Reeves offered up a couple of late surges and shots on net, but the Colorado Academy held their two-goal advantage heading into halftime.
“The last 10 minutes of the first half they played their game and showed that they should be on that field,” says Martin.
“There were some nerves,” admits Reaman. “The first 30 minutes we weren’t playing our game but after the two goals we realized we needed to turn it on.”
A 2-0 lead can be a dangerous lead in soccer and an early goal for the Titans could swing the momentum.
Instead, Colorado Academy showed no signs of letting up, dictating play in the midfield and up front. The Titans defense, anchored by senior Nolan Blunck, held off a succession of attacks and Dethloff continued to turn away every shot that slipped through.
“They came out in the second half and spent the first 10 minutes chasing the ball and finding their way again,” says Martin.
“I believed we could come back in the second half, but again we came out slow,” says Reaman. “There were glimpses but we weren’t playing our game.”
The Titans were then dealt a blow 20 minutes into the second half when senior defender Blake Dodds was forced to leave the game after a collision.
The break in the game quashed the Titans’ shot at a comeback as Colorado Academy staved off a couple of last attacks from the Titans to send Crested Butte packing for the season.
“There was a 10 to 15 minute span they returned to form but the last 10 minutes they started slowing down again,” says Martin. “The injury to Dodds didn’t help.”
The Titans finished the year with a league record of 5-2-1, 9-4-2 overall. Dill led the team with 11 goals, Aguirre netted six goals and assisted on eight and Reaman finished with eight goals and five assists.
Despite the early dismissal from the state tournament, Martin feels the team should still be proud of their season.
“We didn’t have those great individual players that make a difference,” explains Martin. “We had a bunch of guys that worked really hard to learn how to play together and they should be proud of their season. It’s been years since we beat Telluride in Telluride. We became the comeback kings, which is unheard of.”
“I’m very happy with how the season turned out,” adds Reaman. “A lot of the kids had a goal to make the state tournament and after the Classical Academy tournament early in the season, we felt we could do something and it really showed in the last two games of the regular season.”