The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Field ribbon cutting Monday, September 8 at 2:30 p.m.
[ by Than Acuff ]After a couple of tough wins at home to open the 2025 soccer season for the Crested Butte Titans, they hit the road to take on the Caprock Academy Eagles in Grand Junction on Friday, August 29 and finished with a 10-0 win.
The Eagles are a fledgling soccer program that have been building the past handful of years, and the Titans typically have seen success against Caprock. That said, Caprock has given the Titans a scare in the past when Crested Butte showed up lacking focus, despite the warnings from coaches. As a result, the coaching staff made sure to have the players on point for the game with a plan in place.
“The focus was on us and keeping our standards high regardless the opponent,” says coach Matt Wilson. “We wanted the boys sharp, purposeful and to use the game as a chance to grow in the areas we’ve been training.”
While the Titans looked engaged scoring in the first five minutes when Wyatt Cook picked off a pass and scored, they resorted to bad habits and spent a majority of the first half missing additional scoring opportunities. They did settle back down as Shawn Moran, Cook and Matias Bonnaterre all assisted Max Naughton for three goals in the final five minutes of the half for a 4-0 lead at halftime.
“Early on we were playing too rushed, getting caught offside, forcing direct balls, and settling for long shots,” says Wilson. “The buildup out of the back was solid, but the final combination to get in behind wasn’t quite there. We challenged the boys to be a bit more patient in possession and stretch the field. Once we moved the ball side to side with pace, gaps opened up and we started breaking through before halftime.”
Crested Butte carried their style of play from the end of the first half into the second half to see additional success in the attacking third. Moran connected with Cook to score one minute into the second half. Ten minutes later Moran scored on a corner kick from Will Harpel and the Titans tacked on a seventh goal on another corner kick when Tanner Harpel served the ball into the six-yard box and Will Stitt tapped it in.
The Titans continued to mix patience with positive play to set up the next two goals as a series of passes found Syd Presley open 25 yards out and Presley fed the ball to Magnus Sandusky and Tanner for the Titans’ next two goals.
They then finished the game off in the 78th minute when AJ Hegeman slipped a pass to Bonnaterre and Bonnaterre scored to cap the 10-0 win.
“In the second half we found our rhythm, moved the ball with intent and patiently broke down their back line in different ways,” says Wilson. “Our fitness and intensity also wore Caprock down as the game went on. No matter who we play, we must stay disciplined and execute our style of soccer.”
The Titans return to the road to face the Delta Panthers on Friday, September 5. Delta is a 3A program that should be in the mix in 3A post season so Crested Butte will have their hands full.
“Delta will be a real test because they are athletic, organized and tough to break down, so we’ll need to be sharper and more clinical to get a result on the road,” says Wilson.
The Titans have their first home game on the new field on Monday, September 8 at 4 p.m. when they face Salida, last year’s runner-up to the 2A title. The afternoon will start with a ribbon cutting at 2:30 p.m. and the community is invited to join the Crested Butte Community School for the momentous occasion.
