The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“The biggest goal is to find out how badly this team wants to find success through adversity”
[ by Than Acuff ]It was a tough week for the Crested Butte Titans boys’ soccer team both on the road and at home as they dropped two games including a hard-fought Homecoming match.
The Titans knew the week would be hard, if not harder than the week before, with 3A Delta and the number one team in 2A Telluride on the schedule.
“We knew we had two very difficult, senior laden opponents coming up, so our focus was on staying disciplined for 80 minutes while maintaining the same high level of physicality and competitiveness we’ve grown to expect from this team,” says coach Matt Wilson.
They hit the road on Tuesday, September 15 to face the Delta Panthers, who handed the Titans a 2-1 loss last season, so Crested Butte was looking to avenge that result and while they came out on the front foot to start, the Panthers struck first and held on to take a 1-0 lead into halftime.
The hope was after a half of play on the natural surface, and a halftime break to reorganize, the Titans would come out in the second half looking to turn the tables. Unfortunately, a misplayed pass fell to the foot of a Panther player five minutes into the second half near midfield and he slipped a pass forward to their top scorer who caught the back line off guard to run clear and score for a 2-0 Delta lead.
“That was a tough goal to concede because it came so early on in the second half,” says Wilson. “The goal gave Delta some dangerous momentum in the second half.”
Regardless of the scoreboard, Crested Butte kept plugging away looking to unlock the Panther defense finding success on the flanks to generate crosses and corners. The Panther defense and goalkeeper remained diligent in their task to protect the house turning away a succession of Titan attacks.
With 15 minutes left, Crested Butte shifted into a more attacking formation and the move continued to produce attacks, but another turnover at midfield turned into another counterattack by Delta and their top scorer struck again to seal the 3-0 win.
“We couldn’t find a way back into the game after that early goal,” says Wilson. “I think we got a little frustrated when things didn’t go our way, and against a team like Delta, you can’t afford to lose your shape or your composure. At the same time, those are the moments this team needs to learn from if we’re looking to make a playoff run down the stretch.”
Crested Butte returned to action at home when they hosted the Telluride Miners for Homecoming on Thursday, September 17. The Miners are on a heater this season coming into the game with a 5-1 record and ranked number one in 2A.
“The game plan from the first whistle was to stay organized and patient in our midblock while we tried to settle into the game,” says Wilson. “Telluride is playing with a ton of confidence right now, so we wanted to be patient, defend together, and try to grow into the game rather than getting caught up in the potential pace and emotions of the first half.”
The Miners showed what got them to the top spot in 2A mixing possession play with a high-paced attack to open the match. Crested Butte had some counterpunches of their own and flirted with opening the scoring, but the Miners struck first with a quick transition to score 12 minutes into the game.
Continued back and forth play had both teams threatening but neither managed to find the back of the net leaving Telluride with a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.
“I thought the boys responded exceptionally well in terms of their team effort after that first goal,” says Wilson. “The boys didn’t panic and we saw our defense respond well by shutting down their remaining attacking opportunities in the first half. There were stretches where we dominated the pitch and were able to create promising opportunities, but we just couldn’t find the back of the net. Very unlucky, but the response and willingness to keep competing are things we can lean on going forward.”
Telluride came out in the second half leaning into their possession style of play. While it produced an advantage to the Miners as far as possession, the Titans’ back four with a midfield set up to defend left little opportunity for Telluride to turn possession into attack. But Crested Butte struggled against the Miner defense as well and were held scoreless for the second game in a row losing 1-0.
“We have zero issues getting into those dangerous spaces, but our decision-making, movement off the ball, and finishing are all lacking,” says Wilson. “We need to be more clinical and aggressive in those dangerous areas, and with a younger group, that’s something that only comes with time and experience. We’re going to put a little more emphasis on being aggressive and purposeful in the final third, and we may shift some personnel around at the same time.”
Crested Butte has two more tough matches ahead with Gunnison in Gunnison and then Fountain Valley, who are ranked 14th in 3A, on the road on Saturday, September 26.
“The biggest goal is to find out how badly this team wants to find success through adversity,” says Wilson. “We get back to work, correct our mistakes and see if we can put ourselves in a position to play the soccer we know we’re capable of. That’s the challenge for this group, and I think they’re ready for it.”
