The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“We can turn things around the next couple of games”
By Than Acuff
The Crested Butte Titans girls soccer team just wrapped up a tough week of games against non-league opponents Delta and Colorado Springs Christian dropping both on the road as they await the chance to host a home game sometime in the near future. They recovered on Tuesday, March 21 to take down Buena Vista 2-1.
The Titans headed to Delta on Thursday, March 16 to face the Panthers and were met with near inhospitable conditions with a cold wind blowing through the venue. The weather played a big part in the outcome as the Titans’ efforts to match Delta’s speed, especially up top, led to a slew of muscle pulls.
Delta took a 1-0 lead in the first half off a penalty kick and while Crested Butte matched the Panthers’ pace, continued injuries and Delta’s organized defense stymied the Titans’ attack.
“When we played wide, things worked out,” says coach Heather Culley. “We were just passing the ball into space and hoping we would run onto it. We ended up giving the ball up a lot.”
Delta continued to rely on their speed up top and managed to break through two more times in the second half to hand the Titans a 3-0 loss.
“The game was fine,” says Culley. “We could compete but as the game wore on and players got injured, we just wore out.”
The Titans were then set to host their first home game of the season on Saturday, March 18, but Mother Nature had other plans forcing Crested Butte back on the road to meet the Colorado Springs Christian Lions in Salida for their game.
Colorado Springs Christian is a notoriously strong Front Range program and they would prove to be quite the test for the Titans on Saturday, especially as the Titans were still recovering from injuries that ensued during the Delta match.
“They’re pretty good and move the ball around quickly,” says Culley.
That quick play and a dominating midfield by the Lions had the Titans scrambling as Colorado Springs Christian built a 4-0 lead by halftime.
“They had five in the middle and we talked about using drops instead of turning into them,” says Culley. “We also told them to take a deep breath and stop panicking.”
The Lions remained on the front foot throughout the second half to tack on three more goals as the Titans fell 7-0.
“It showed the things we need to work on,” says Culley. “We just need a field to work on them. The girls are capable of playing the same as these opponents, we just need to get them to click all at the same time.”
The Titans bounced back in their win over Buena Vista with goals coming from Nora Thomes and Molly Miller. They hit the road again to face Telluride on Friday, March 24.
“The girls are excited for the Telluride game,” says Culley. “We can turn things around the next couple of games.”
