Titans soccer winding down season

Drop 2-1 loss after week
of wins

Intensity, or lack thereof, continues to plague the Crested Butte Titans soccer team. For the third time this season, the Titans took a 1-0 lead only to wind up with a loss or a tie.
The Titans opened last week cruising to a 10-0 win over the Center Vikings. The Vikings have struggled over the past couple of seasons and their troubles continued into this year.
One thing they do bring to the field is an aggressive offsides trap strategy, and the plan handcuffed the Titans for the first 15 minutes of the game.
The Titans made adjustments as the game wore on, with the striker core of seniors Collin Dill and Luis Aguirre working together in front of the Vikings’ back four to set up chances on net.
Aguirre took a pass from the midfield and sent a quick chip over the top to Dill, who broke through the offsides trap to score. Two minutes later junior Jesse Reeves chased a ball down in the corner to beat the Center goalie and cross the ball in front to sophomore Prawit Durgan for a 2-0 lead.
Dill and senior captain Ben Reaman then connected for the next two Titan goals; Dill completed his hat trick and freshman Kaleb Schultz finished the half netting two goals for a 7-0 Titans’ lead.
The Titans held back in the second half continuing to work on possession, losing a player on the field for every additional goal they scored.
Aguirre joined the scoring in the 45th minute; Schultz completed his hat trick and Reaman finished a corner kick slicing into the six for the header, capping the 10-0 rout.
“We started out shaky but started playing our game,” says Reaman.
But the real test for the Titans would come two days later as they headed back to the San Luis Valley to face Alamosa.
Alamosa joined the league last season and continues to bring a solid defensive structure combined with small-ball soccer every year. The Titans had some work ahead of them after a disappointing loss to Alamosa last year.
“I felt like the team definitely wanted to beat Alamosa since they got a 1-0 win against us last year,” says Reaman.
The Titans hit the road early Saturday morning, showing up to a field in Alamosa that was covered in snow. The lines were shoveled clear and the game was on as the two teams battled against each other and the field conditions in a slop-fest of kick and run style soccer.
The Titans took to the situation, holding the ball in Alamosa’s half of the field for a majority of the opening 40 minutes.
Every time Alamosa looked to mount an attack, senior defenders Blake Dodds and captain Nolan Blunck and junior Cal Fenerty were there to shut it down and push the ball back up field.
Aguirre battled hard up front chasing down loose balls and pressuring the goal. While the snow snarled several early attempts, Aguirre took a deflection at the top of the penalty area and volleyed in for a 1-0 Titans lead in the 24th minute.
The Titans continued to pressure the Alamosa net, offering up a couple more chances but Alamosa held on to keep the Crested Butte lead to one heading into halftime.
A completely different Titans team then took the field in the second half.
After dominating the game with pure hustle in the first half, the Titans sat back and watched as Alamosa climbed back into the game.
Fifteen minutes into the second half an Alamosa striker slipped through and was tripped up inside the penalty area for a penalty kick. Alamosa converted to tie the game 1-1. Three minutes later, pressure from Alamosa led to another goal and the Titans found themselves down 2-1 with 25 minutes left in the game.
The back-to-back strikes by Alamosa drained the Titans of their fight as Alamosa packed the defense and held on for the 2-1 win.
“The team wanted it in the first half but we just broke down,” says Reaman. “It was similar to the Ridgway game. We got two goals scored against us and couldn’t pull it back together and get the two goals we needed to win the game.”
The Titans’ league record drops to 2-2-1 going into the October Break.
They return to action on Tuesday, October 18 when they head to Telluride and they finish the season at home on Thursday, October 20 when the Titans host the Ridgway Demons.
“We need to finish strong and win these next two games,” says Reaman. “We have it in us if we play the way we know how for all 80 minutes.”