AURORA | Kersten Mullan had hoped her Smoky Hill boys soccer team would face Boulder last season, but tragically, it had to wait until the opening of the 2014 season.
The two teams that squared off in the 2012 Class 5A boys state championship game — won by the Panthers — seemed on a collision course in last season’s playoffs until the top-seeded Buffaloes’ lost in an upset to Fort Collins in the game before the teams would have squared off.
So Mullan slated a matchup with Boulder for the first game of the regular season and it was circled on the calendar for the entire offseason. Behind an early goal by Sam Franceschi and a late one by Kevin Del Mazo — on a penalty kick — Smoky Hill emerged with a cathartic 2-1 victory on its home turf at The Swamp.
“I think the senior class in particular has been waiting to see this team, as a matter of fact, waiting so bad that last year in the playoffs we overlooked Fort Collins because we thought we’d see these guys on the backside,” Mullan said. “I think it was really important for these guys to get this opportunity and they took advantage of it.”
For the 12 seniors on the Smoky Hill roster — most of them in the starting lineup — the memory of the 3-1 loss to Boulder on Nov. 12, 2012, at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park came flooding back. A regular season victory can obviously not make up for losing a state championship game, but the Buffaloes felt great about the result nonetheless.
“It felt like we had to get something back because they took our ring,” Del Mazo said. “For the guys that were there, it will probably stay with us for awhile. …We were thinking, if we were to lose any game this season, it couldn’t be this one.”
With a lot of energy from the opening kickoff, Smoky Hill drew first blood with an effort goal. Boulder goalkeeper Leo Huettel stopped a hard shot from senior Walter Prince as John Herrmann crashed the net. Huettel stuffed Herrmann’s follow-up attempt with a dive, but the ball rolled out to Franceschi, who buried it for the go-ahead score.
Boulder scored the equalizer in the 28th minute when midfielder Quinn Liebmann struck a perfect shot inside the far post in front of diving Andrew Franceschi. The Panthers kept building on the momentum and dominated possession for the final 10 minutes of the half, but couldn’t put another away.
“An early goal is always exciting, but one thing we do need to change is that once we score the goal, we need to keep our heads up and act like it’s 0-0,” senior defender Colton Ladyga said. “We need to keep pushing for it and not get back on our heels like we did.”
Prince nearly got Smoky Hill on the board early in the second half with a shot toward an empty net that was cleared off the line by Boulder defender Skye Guegan.
Herrmann got involved again in a scoring chance midway through the second half when he drove into the goal box and was dragged down by Panthers’ defender Aidain Longhurst, who grabbed onto Herrmann’s shorts and jersey, which drew the award of a penalty kick.
Del Mazo — who scored a team-high 15 goals last season — was the obvious choice to take the shot and he drilled it into the net to his right and Huettel dove the opposite direction. Del Mazo celebrated the goal with a leap in front of Smoky Hill’s sizeable student section.
“I try not to think about it, I just try to hit it in,” Del Mazo said. “I kindof like the pressure and I like that the team has a lot of confidence in me that they can trust me with such a big play.”
Boulder had one outstanding chance to tie the game in the closing minutes, but Andrew Franceschi made a massive save in the air to preserve Smoky Hill’s lead.
It wasn’t a perfect opener, but Mullan loved the battling and overcoming adversity that she saw from her team that she didn’t see so much last year.
“One game does not a season make, so that’s where we are now,” Mullan said. “I think this was a really important game for us, but I don’t think there any question you saw two of the best teams in the state on the field today.”
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. Facebook: Aurora Prep Sentinel
SMOKY HILL 2, BOULDER 1
Score by halves:
Boulder 1 0 — 1
Smoky Hill 1 1 — 2
SCORING
First half — Smoky Hill: Sam Franceschi, 6th minute; Boulder: Quinn Liebmann (Michael O’Herron), 28th minute
Second half — Smoky Hill: Kevin Del Mazo (PK), 61st minute
Goalkeeper saves — Boulder: Leo Huettel (7 shots on goal-5 saves); Smoky Hill: Andrew Franceschi (6 shots on goal-5 saves). Fouls — Boulder 14, Smoky Hill 12. Corner kicks — Boulder 3, Smoky Hill 4. Yellow cards — Boulder: Aidain Longhurst; Smoky Hill: Colton Ladyga
