Titans soccer notches 2-0 win over Alamosa

Homecoming this Friday

While the Crested Butte Titans soccer team still struggles to put together a full 80 minutes of soccer, they did take a big step forward this past weekend during a 2-0 win over the Alamosa Mean Moose.
The Titans racked up a series of league wins during the opening weeks of the season but oftentimes fell behind before rallying for the win. In the midst of all of the mayhem, the Titans had yet to find their possession rhythm, relying mainly on individual play and pure hustle to dig out the wins.
Saturday in Alamosa provided some insight into the Titans potential and hopefully a transformation toward a more complete game.
A recent spate of injuries, illnesses and other issues had a somewhat depleted Titans team heading to Alamosa. They lost their starting keeper and a starting central defender for the weekend, forcing the coaching staff to call upon players to line up in unfamiliar positions.
Jorge Rodriguez, who has proven to be a threat on the outside and a wall in defense, found himself in net in Alamosa. Meanwhile, Thomas Taaca had to slide in from his outside defensive position to anchor the defense, and Walker Carroll got his first start at varsity as a right back.
“Jorge in goal was probably the biggest move and then it was pretty much ‘next man up’ to fill the other spots,” says coach Drew Canale. “Players just had to step up and fill some new roles.”
 The Titans opened the game pushing the pace for the first time all season with Sam Reaman and Taisei working hard up top and the midfield battling up and down the field. Meanwhile, Taaca opted to play as a deep sweeper and managed to clean up numerous long passes down the middle, as Henry Sunter stalled the Mean Moose attack in front of the Titans back line.
The Titans effort paid off 15 minutes into the game as Reaman took a pass at the top of the 18-yard box and after a series of cutbacks, ripped a shot past the outstretched arms of the Alamosa keeper.
The Titans back four remained tight for the rest of the half but midfield confusion and a forced attack by the Titans resulted in numerous turnovers, allowing Alamosa to put some pressure on the Titans net.
The Mean Moose cracked three shots off the post over the course of 15 minutes before the Titans settled down to shut off the attack and hold their 1-0 lead at halftime.
“Despite the flurry of activity on our net, I thought we played well and outplayed them,” says Canale.
A mental shift by the Titans made all of the difference in the second half as they dominated possession and provided a far more patient attack. Utilizing the flanks took pressure off the central midfielders and the Titans set up shop in the offensive third for a majority of the half. While gaps may have opened up straight down the middle, the Titans used the time to play a more possession-oriented style of soccer and looked for passing sequences to set up attacks rather than random solo assaults.
A foul 15 minutes into the second half set up Kaleb Schultz with a direct kick from 20 yards out. He buried the shot for a 2-0 lead.
The Titans had three more great chances on net but shots flew wide and the Titans defense and midfield did the rest to seal the 2-0 win.
“I thought it was some of the best soccer they’ve played all year,” says Canale, “which was good to see because we have two big games coming up.”
The Titans have their hands full this weekend with two of their toughest league games of the season coming up. They will host the Telluride Miners on Friday, September 19 at Rainbow Field at 4 p.m. for the annual homecoming game. The Titans then stay at home to host the Pagosa Springs Pirates on Saturday at Rainbow at 11 a.m.
“They’ll probably be our two biggest challenges of the season,” says Canale. “If we play to our potential, we can win both games. If we don’t, we’ll get beat.”