Titans’ soccer notch two big wins on road

Knowing full well the pressure Pagosa can bring, the notoriously slow-starting Titans team switched gears to open the game at top speed. The initial pace of the Titans paid off four minutes into the game when Isaac Evans sent Jorge Rodriguez down the flank with a through-pass. Rodriguez carried it to the end line and crossed to Kaleb Schultz alone in the 18-yard box and Schultz drove it past the Pagosa keeper for an early lead. “We told the team that Pagosa was going to come out hot so we came out fast and got a quick goal on a really nice play,” says coach Drew Canale.” The Pirates recovered to bring their game into play with unceasing hustle, backed by a stout and packed defense stalling the Titans on numerous attacks and breaking up the midfield. The two teams traded off shots throughout the first half with neither paying off as the Titans took a tight 1-0 lead into halftime. Pagosa opened the second half in a new gear, attacking the Titans from all sides. The Crested Butte defense held off the attack during the initial 10 minutes but Pagosa found a seam on a long throw in to tie the game 1-1. Crested Butte settled down to regain their composure and returned to their style of play, matching Pagosa’s hustle and focusing on building a more cohesive attack. But the Pirate defense proved too organized to exploit, turning away the Titans and responding with a quick counterattack. Defenders Josh Melnick and Thomas Taaca did the lion’s share of the work in the middle of the field while Nate Hoskin and Walker Carroll provided support on the flanks. Pagosa slipped through to get two great looks on net but keeper Josh Pruett made the saves and the teams headed into overtime deadlocked in a 1-1 draw. “We just kept playing our game under extensive Pagosa Pirate pressure,” says Canale. The first half of overtime saw more of the same as the Titans remained composed and the Pirates brought their full attack. The work of Evans and Sebastian Infante at midfield helped the Titans through some tough spots and the game continued into the second overtime period. The difference came five minutes into the final overtime as Sam Reaman checked back to receive a pass and clipped it over the top to Schultz. Schultz took on the initial Pirate defender, cut across the top of the penalty area and drove a low hard shot past the outstretched arms of the Pirate net minder for the game-winning goal. It was the third time the Titans triumphed in overtime on the road this season. “It was a nail-biter because the goals weren’t coming but we stayed with our plan,” says Canale. “We’ve been lacking the ability to keep the pedal down all game and we’ve had lots of opportunities, just having trouble finishing. I think conditioning is what’s getting us through. We train at a high level and that shows in the overtime periods.” The Titans relaxed on the road that evening with a team dinner and overnight stay and headed 30 miles farther west to take on the Bayfield Wolverines. Crested Butte opened the game much like the night before with a fast-paced passing attack but suffered from a lack of communication for the opening 10 minutes. Once the talk started, their play improved and Reaman broke free on a pass up the middle to drive a low shot through the hands of the Bayfield goalie for a 1-0 lead. Five minutes later, Evans was rewarded for his hustle by following on a rebound and punching it just under the crossbar for a 2-0 lead. Jordi Nichols added in a third Crested Butte goal in the 24th minute off and assist from Justin Smith and Smith followed that up with another assist 10 minutes later for Reaman’s second goal of the game and a 4-0 lead at halftime. Schultz netted his third goal in two games in the sixth minute of the second half and after giving up a goal to Bayfield on a direct kick, the Titans defense tightened up and Pruett came up with two clearing punches to finish Crested Butte’s 5-1 win. “The two wins were a big confidence boost,” says Canale. “We got two wins going into the final stretch of the regular season.” The Titans will finish league play with three games over the next 10 days in Crested Butte. They will host the Ridgway Demons on Thursday, October 9 at Rainbow Field at 4:30 p.m. and then face Alamosa on Saturday, October 11 at 1 p.m. They’ll end the regular season on Friday, October 17 when they host Montezuma-Cortez at Rainbow Field at 4 p.m. “We’re going to stay focused on our goal of winning the league and get some good training sessions and prep work done for the last three games,” says Canale. “Throw in lots of weird sports drinks, salad in a bag and some Pringles.”