AURORA | On the fringes of the Class 5A postseason, the Smoky Hill boys soccer team did itself a big favor with its performance against Eaglecrest Tuesday at The Swamp.
The Buffaloes scored three times in the second half to come away with a quality 3-0 Centennial League victory over a nine-win Eaglecrest team for a result that gave them a boost in the 5A RPI standings in the final week of the regular season.
Junior Nyasha Mpondi broke a scoreless tie in the early stages of the second half and senior Bryant Becerra added two insurance scores by being in the right place at the right time for coach Scott Gardner’s Smoky Hill team, which snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 7-6-1 overall and 2-3-1.
The Buffaloes moved up to the No. 22 spot in the 5A RPI standings, which puts them well in the field of 32 teams headed to the postseason. Smoky Hill’s RPI standing should remain steady as it has only one game remaining — against Cherry Creek, which is ranked No. 3 in RPI — remaining in a game scheduled to be played Thursday, weather permitting.
Eaglecrest (9-5, 2-4), meanwhile, had a two-game winning streak snapped that included a strong 2-1 victory over defending 5A state champion Arapahoe.
Coach Matt Best’s Raptors hold the No. 19 spot in the RPI standings with a finale against Grandview (No. 7 in RPI) in a game also scheduled for Thursday.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
