Titans take down Demons in league play

Big double header this weekend

The Crested Butte Titans soccer team stumbled through the first 40 minutes of play before finally wearing down the Ridgway Demons en route to a 3-0 win on Tuesday, September 18. The win pushes Crested Butte back over .500 with a league record of 2-1-1.

The game came on the heels of a mediocre showing the previous weekend where the Titans split games on their two-game road trip and the coaches were looking to get the team back on track against Ridgway.
“Obviously we wanted to win, but what we really wanted to see is the team show up and play their game against Ridgway,” says coach Mike Martin. “We wanted to see what these kids could do against a team that’s commonly a powerhouse in our league.”
The Demons pose a formidable challenge to the Titans every year with a well-organized defense, hustle in the midfield and speed up top.
The game Tuesday opened just like all of their other meetings in the past several years as the Demon midfield handcuffed the Titans.
While the Titans defense proved stout, the Titans struggled to build any semblance of an attack through the midfield. The Titans adjusted accordingly and started finding seams to open up shots outside the penalty area.
The Titans finally broke the seal after 35 minutes of scoreless play converting on a corner kick. Junior Prawit Durgan dropped his set kick just inside the top of the 18-yard box. Sophomore Kaleb Schultz got a head on the ball but it skipped to the far post where senior Jesse Reeves was waiting to punch it through for the 1-0 lead.
The Demons continued to frustrate the Titans though and team dissention among the Crested Butte players set in for the final stretch of the first half.
“It should have been 3-0 at half,” says Martin. “The hustle was there but it wasn’t there for everyone.”
A different Titans team came out in the second half and, barring a 10-minute lapse in hustle, dominated play. While the Titans’ passes inside the attacking third continued to miss their marks, the constant pressure provided the necessary chances on goal.
Senior Jose Cantu broke free down the right side and chipped a high cross to the far post. Junior Dakota Wiggins crashed on the ball from the weak side to stuff it home and put the Titans up 2-0 midway through the second half.
Ten minutes later, Durgan crashed the net on a loose ball and finished it to give the Titans a 3-0 lead that stood.
“There was a change in tune in the second half,” says Martin. “Coach Than had a nice little talk with the team to remind them they are a team and to start working together.”
The Titans have their hands full in the next five days as they hit the road for three big games. They head to the San Luis Valley on Saturday for a double-header against Alamosa and Center. Alamosa is traditionally a very strong opponent and the Titans have yet to get a win against them. The Titans then head to Telluride to face the Miners on Tuesday, October 2.
“We’ve had a week and a half off for varsity and we gave them a little break but we’re trying to reset them mentally for their games Saturday,” says Martin. “Our goal is to come in strong and play the game we play for 80 minutes. That’s really our focus, this next game against Alamosa.”