The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“The boys were on a mission and absolutely took over in the second half”
By Than Acuff
Thanks to some quick thinking in the final five minutes of the match, the Crested Butte Titans boy’s soccer team headed into an extended break from action on a high note with a 2-1 win over Aspen on Saturday, October 5.
Aspen plays in arguably one of the toughest leagues in the state and while their record on paper may not impress, their level of competition week in and week out on the other side of the Elk Mountains was cause for concern for the Crested Butte team.
“Aspen came in with a 3-5 record, but they kept the score line close against some quality teams, so we were expecting quite a unique puzzle out of Aspen,” says coach Matt Wilson.
Couple that with a tired Titans squad that had already played 12 matches, far exceeding the totals of their peers statewide, and the match would prove to be another tough test.
Aspen took a decidedly defensive stance through the first 15 minutes of the game allowing the Titans to control possession as they looked to find chances on the Skier’s goal through the compact Aspen formation.
Initial attempts from distance missed the mark but the Titans eventually found success as Marin Gardner slipped a pass to Shawn Moran just inside the 18-yard box and Moran picked the low corner for a 1-0 Titans’ lead.
“In the first 20 minutes, we possessed with a purpose and worked the ball east and west finding tons of space in behind,” explains Wilson. “It really was an ideal start for us.”
Aspen then switched gears as they shifted into a more attacking formation which opened up their attack and provided more ball pressure on the Titans further up the field. Aspen looked to the flanks for their attack resulting in two close calls on the Titans’ net, including a double save by Titans’ goalie Jakob Klemme, that helped stave off Aspen’s initial attempts. But the prolonged attack eventually paid off for Aspen as they capitalized on a broken play off a long throw in to tie the game 1-1 by halftime.
“Aspen started out in a pretty compact 4-5-1, then quickly had to pivot by pushing their outside midfielders higher up the pitch creating a more threatening 4-3-3,” says Wilson. “Aspen found some success but showed their hand too soon because we knew exactly how to exploit the weaknesses in a 4-3-3 so we felt that gave us the upper hand.”
Adjustments by the Titans during the break shifted the game’s momentum back in Crested Butte’s favor and they proceeded to generate several quality chances in the attacking third only to have their shots pushed wide by Aspen’s top-notch goalkeeper.
Meanwhile, the effort of Crested Butte’s back four of Cy Buckel, Archer Bernholtz, Jordan Silva and Rocco Billingsley had their defensive third locked down tight and the Titans continued to push the pace up field hoping to find the difference maker as the clock wound down.
“The boys were on a mission and absolutely took over in the second half,” says Wilson. “Their goalie was an absolute beast who blocked tons of quality, on-frame shots and we knew the boys had to come up with something special to get one past him.”
The difference came with five minutes left to play as a foul by and Aspen player resulted in a direct kick for the Titans 25 yards in front of Aspen’s goal. Moran and Gardner took their spots for the set piece and saw an opportunity to take a quick shot as Moran fired it into the net catching the Aspen keeper out of position for the eventual 2-1 Titans’ win.
“Soccer doesn’t get much better than that,” says Wilson. “Tie game at home versus a mountain of a goalkeeper with 5 minutes left in a crucial must win. You live to witness this as a coach, and the soccer IQ it takes to pull off a feat like that is off the charts and will go down as one of the most intelligent goals I’ve ever seen.”
Crested Butte now enters a two-week stretch without games including a week off from all activity of the school’s October break. They return to action when they host the Ridgway Demons on Wednesday, October 23 at 4 p.m. and then close out the regular season on the road as they head to Telluride on Friday, October 25.
“I think this much needed and well-deserved break couldn’t have come at a better time,” says Wilson. “We’ve got some key injuries in key positions and this break will give the boys the extra time needed to heal themselves. We all know the level of dedication from this team, so there’s no question that the boys will keep up with their fitness while finding time to kick the ball around and will come back locked and loaded ready to finish the season strong.”
The Titans find out their state tournament seed on Sunday, October 27 and could possibly host their first game of the post season on Saturday, November 2, game time and location to be determined.
“This win was huge because it showed the resiliency yet again out of the boys and will help us stay on the front foot going into the playoffs,” says Wilson.
