Titans soccer season ends at semifinals

“It was an honor to make a mark in the Titans legacy, and I don’t see any signs of it slowing down”

By Than Acuff

After winning their first two games of the 2A state tournament, including a thrilling late goal to win in the quarterfinals, the Crested Butte Titans soccer team fell to Forge Christian 3-0 in the semifinals on Wednesday, November 13 bringing their season to a close.

It was going to be a tough match for the Titans as Forge Christian spent their season battling and beating tough opponents all year long earning the second seed in the state tournament.

“They had a run and gun style offense with three talented central midfielders and played an extremely fast paced direct game of soccer,” says coach Matt Wilson. “Our plan was to absorb that pressure in the first half and take away the middle of the pitch hoping to calm our boys down and not concede a goal in the first half. We knew we couldn’t win it in the first 40, but we definitely didn’t want to lose it in the first 40 either.”

“The boys and I knew we were in for a battle leading up to the semifinal game,” adds senior captain Marin Gardner. “Of course, we had our minds set on winning it all and as a result there was no shortage of excitement. As coach Than has said, ‘We have developed a legacy of winning.’ With that mindset we knew this wouldn’t be an easy game.”

The plan in place seemed to be working on one end of the field as the Titans absorbed attack after attack by Forge Christian with the back four of Rocco Billingsley, Beckett Kidd, Archer Bernholtz and Cy Buckel turning away attacks on the flanks, clearing crosses from harm’s way and blocking shots when needed.

The other aspect of the Titans’ plan was to counterattack but the back three of Forge Christian proved well-organized, fast and strong in the air. The Titans did catch Forge Christian off guard 12 minutes into the game opening a shot for Max Naughton on a quick counter, but his attempt skipped wide of the far post.

“It was clear by the first 10 minutes that we were up against an exceptional team with great skill,” says Gardner. “Despite that, we were comfortable and confident that our time would come to strike. With the game plan set, the team and I knew we would have to take advantage of any opportunity given to us.”

Continued pressure had the Titans pinned in their own half of the field for much of the first half, but they battled to prevent any clear looks on net until the closing 10 minutes. A misplayed goal kick fell to the feet of a Forge Christian striker and he seized on the opportunity to drive a shot to the low corner for a 1-0 Forge Christian lead at halftime.

“To give up such a soft goal in the last 10 minutes of the half was so unlucky because I think we played exactly how we wanted to play in the first half,” says Wilson. “We also had an amazing opportunity on goal in the first 10 minutes of play that just missed the target, so we really thought our plan was bearing fruit until we conceded that goal.”

The Titans came out in the second half a bit more confident and started to calm down, but Forge Christian showed no signs of letting up. The Titans still battled and saw some signs of success but stalled in the attacking third.

“The lads came out on a mission in the second half, firing on all cylinders,” says Wilson. “The boys played without fear and really came together in the second half by pinging the ball around, playing exceptional defense, and finding gaps in their defensive line.”

As time was dwindling, Crested Butte shifted into a more attacking formation hoping to find the equalizer. While it offered a couple closer looks for the Titans, Forge Christian eventually capitalized to score two more goals down the stretch to end the Titans season.

“We knew we’d have to move into a more attacking formation to chase the game if we were still down in the last 10 minutes of the game,” says Wilson. “Those late goals, and subsequent final score line, were not indicative of how we played against Forge Christian and is unfortunately a double-edge sword and just the nature of the beast playing within that formation.”

“It is just a shame we weren’t able to tuck away any through the duration of the match,” adds Gardner. “Our loss was not for a lack of effort. That is a key aspect to this Titans team that I believe Coach Than and others have imbedded into our culture. Teams may outrank us in technical skill, but they will never outwork us. I hope to see that level of work ethic continue to grow throughout the years and the future leaders of the team continue to be influenced by those before them.”

The Titans finished the season 14-2-2 and while falling short of their goal to return to the state finals, it was still a successful season in the eyes of both Wilson and Gardner.

“Of course, we all wanted to see a fifth trophy in the school this year, but that alone goes to show how unbelievably far the Titans soccer program has come,” says Gardner. “Winning four state titles and making two semifinal appearances in the last seven seasons is a powerful statement. Ending our season 14-2-2 shows how hardworking, passionate, and dedicated this Titans team really is. It was an honor to make a mark in the Titans legacy, and I don’t see any signs of it slowing down.”

“Our boys are competitors, fighters, and amazing student athletes,” adds Wilson. “They win with class and lose with class, and as coaches, we just want to turn the boys into good humans with a byproduct being a great footballer. So, I think that’s what stood out to me the most throughout the season.”

Crested Butte will lose nine seniors to graduation but with as many juniors coming back and a solid JV team in place, there is much optimism moving forward.

“We’ll have a great group of returning starters, an exceptional JV team that’s coming into their own after losing just a few games this season, and we also have a quality pipeline coming from our club side, West Elk Soccer Association,” says Wilson. “Next year is going to be phenomenal as we’ll be reloading and not rebuilding, so I would argue that the future looks very bright for the program.”