COAL RIDGE – The Telluride High School boys’ soccer team ascended the ranks of the State Soccer Tournament bracket last weekend, skating through the first round with a commanding win over Arrupe Jesuit but ultimately succumbing to high-ranked Coal Ridge in the second round.
Their two-game showing in the state tournament represented the first time in at least a decade that Telluride boys’ soccer has made it past the State soccer tournament’s first round, representing a bittersweet end to a decorated season.
The boys began the weekend by going up 3-0 against Arrupe Jesuit in the first half of the Friday First Round game, with Senior Slator Aplin going on a run with a goal then assisting Henry Sosa on the next goal. Santiago Hernandez rounded out the first half with a goal scored off an assist dished out from Keith Hill.
At the start of the second half, Ian Mitchell found the back of the net with a shot from outside the box, putting the Miners ahead 4-0.
Arrupe Jesuit caught a break when Telluride substituted some of their starters, and quickly capitalized on the change in momentum by scoring two quick goals. Yet Telluride easily maintained the lead, winning a berth into the second round in the process.
Saturday’s second round game would prove more challenging for the Miners, who entered the fray as well prepared as they could have been, their coach Mick Hill said.
“The guys had a good attitude, and we felt like if we played well, we could beat them,” Hill said of Saturday’s game against Coal Ridge, the home team and No. 3 seed in the league.
Telluride pushed against Coal Ridge hard in the first 15 minutes of the match, putting together a few scoring opportunities that they ultimately weren’t able to cash in on. Coal Ridge later capitalized on a momentary lapse in Telluride’s defense, and scored with a shot from the edge of the box.
Telluride responded midway through the first half, with Nico Shapiro taking a freekick from the half and finding Malcolm Major, who got a head on it to tie the game 1-1.
Both teams battled hard through the rest of the first half and into the second, maintaining the even score up until the very last minutes of the game, when Coal Ridge snuck one past Telluride keeper Brendan Kelly in the last seconds of the match.
“It was definitely a tough loss for the boys,” Hill admitted, “but they were right there in it, and overall it was a great season. I couldn’t have asked any more of the boys.”
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