Crested Butte Titans soccer notches two more wins

“I think the team is in a great spot”

by Than Acuff

After battling to a tough 3-1 road win over the Ridgway Demons on Tuesday, September 29, the Crested Butte Titans boys’ soccer team rolled to a 5-0 win over the Aspen Skiers on Saturday, October 3.

Despite the disparity in wins between the two programs this season, the Demons are always a tough challenge on their home field for Crested Butte and they proved to be once again as it took a while for Crested Butte to eke out the win.

The Titans’ focus as of late has been to come out stronger in the opening 10 minutes of games and they did just that as Tor Jennison got on the end of a long throw in to tuck the ball away two minutes into the game for a 1-0 lead.

But Ridgway had a clear plan for Crested Butte and their team shape and patience defending proved troublesome for the Titans and as the first half wore on, the Titans slowed down, and Ridgway capitalized on a direct kick to leave the teams tied 1-1 at halftime.

“We came out strong and scored in the first minute, but we made a few uncharacteristic mistakes that allowed Ridgway back into the game late in the first half,” says coach Matt Wilson.

Ridgway remained on point in their efforts while the Titans continued to search for attacking opportunities. They finally found one 20 minutes into the second half when a shot for Jennison skipped on the wet surface and through the Demon goalie for a 2-1 lead. Twelve minutes later Jennison struck again off an assist from Will Stitt and the back four and goalie Jakob Klemme remained composed to help seal the 3-1 win.

“We were the better team overall, and in the second half we settled down, created some good chances and found two goals to earn a hard fought 3-1 road win,” says Wilson.

Crested Butte took the challenging effort as a warning to ramp up their efforts for their next game against the Aspen Skiers. Aspen brings size and pace to the pitch, and the Titans knew it could be a tough challenge, so they set the tone for the game in their workouts leading up to the match.

“I think the team was a bit sluggish after a three-day weekend before Ridgway,” says senior captain Jennison. “But we were able to build up our energy throughout the week and organize the team for an exciting challenge against Aspen.”

Still focused on coming out quick, Crested Butte determined the pace of the game from the opening kickoff but struggled to find the final touch. They eventually broke the stalemate 20 minutes into the game as Jennison took a pass from Tanner Harpel and punched it in for a 1-0 lead.

“It’s super important to score first so that we can establish some confidence with our offense and bring the work rate of the team up,” says Jennison.

Continued pressure from the Titans and an aggressive subbing pattern helped keep the pace in Crested Butte’s favor paying off in the final five minutes of the half as Jennison struck again, this time off an assist from Kyle Moran, for a 2-0 lead at halftime. But the message was clear heading into the second half.

“Everyone on the team knows the saying that 2-0 is the most dangerous score in soccer,” says Jennison. “So, our first priority in the second half was to score the third goal.”

The Titans hit that in the first five minutes when Moran scored off an assist from Tucker Pritchett. Ten minutes later Jennison scored a penalty kick and after Klemme came up with a point blank save to hold the shutout, Sid Presley tucked the ball in near post on his corner kick with five minutes left to seal the 5-0 win.

“I saw the goalie was at the top of the six, so I wanted to hit the corner kick inside of him,” says Presley of the goal.

“I think the increase in scoring tempo came from getting redemption on Aspen after an unlucky tie last year,” adds Jennison.

The team now has two more tough 3A challenges ahead with Roaring Fork on the road and then a home game against Pagosa Springs on Saturday, October 10 at 11 a.m.

“I think the team is in a great spot,” says Jennison. “We are starting to fully settle into our formation and beginning to combine the discipline of the back line with the attackers.”

“We want to finish this stretch with two strong performances and carry some positive momentum into the break,” adds Wilson. “Both teams will challenge us in different ways, so the goal is to play our game, clean up the details and hopefully go into the break with two wins.”