Titans soccer closes preseason with big win over Montrose

Open league play at home on Friday at 4 p.m.

The Crested Butte Titans soccer team has a long-standing tradition with Montrose. For years the Titans have played Montrose leading up to the regular season as a final test of the team’s readiness.
It’s a somewhat subdued look into the Titans’ strengths and weaknesses as they face the Montrose JV each year. Montrose is a significantly larger school with one of the top 4A programs in the state. Typically, even their JV gives the Titans varsity a run for their money—but not this year, as the Titans rolled to a 6-1 win.
After a sluggish showing the weekend prior in Colorado Springs, a rejuvenated and somewhat healthy Titans team set a furious pace from the opening kick-off against Montrose.
Two-touch passing and an explosive transition game facilitated by a level of communication not yet seen by the Titans all season brought their game to a new level.
“They were playing really good intense, high-energy soccer and controlled play nearly the entire first half,” says coach Drew Canale.
The pay-off came early as junior Kaleb Schultz netted the Titans’ first strike. With Montrose collapsed, the Titans then started pushing the ball wide to vary their attack. The switch resulted in two more goals as senior Dakota Wiggins crashed the far post to finish a cross from junior Sam Reaman. Senior Solon Gray then put the Titans on top 3-0, finishing on another cross from Reaman.
The Titans maintained their pace through the second half as Reaman got in on the scoring, netting two goals and then finished it off by sending a quick through-ball to Schultz for the Titans’ sixth and final goal.
“It was nice to see everything we’ve been working on as a team come together,” says Canale.
“It will be interesting to see if we can pull off the same pace and open attack against our league opponents,” adds coach Than Acuff. “We’ll find out this weekend. Pagosa is a team that refuses to let up all 80 minutes of the game, and their intensity often dictates the outcome of the game. Bayfield should be interesting as well. They play a very organized, well-disciplined style of soccer.”
The Titans will host the Pagosa Springs Pirates on Friday, September 13 at 4 p.m. and then the Bayfield Wolverines on Saturday, September 14 at 1 p.m. Both games will be at Rainbow Field.
“I think we’re ready,” says Canale. “There’s definitely more work to be done, but league play this weekend will be a good test for us.”