GREENWOOD VILLAGE | With high seeds falling right and left in the Class 5A boys state soccer playoffs, top-seeded Smoky Hill tumbled Wednesday night.
Seventeenth-seeded Fort Collins converted a set piece into the tie-breaking goal with just over 10 minutes remaining and held on for a 2-1 victory over the Buffaloes, who became the sixth top-10 seed to be ousted from the tournament in the first two rounds.
Keaton Hay headed in a long free kick serve by Coleman Kane to break a 1-1 tie and send the Lambkins into a 5A quarterfinal contest against ninth-seeded Boulder. Fort Collins’ victory denied Smoky Hill a rematch with a Boulder team it lost to in last season’s state championship game.
Coach Kersten Mullan’s Buffaloes lost for the first time since Sept. 26 and finished the season 14-3.
(17) FORT COLLINS 2, (1) SMOKY HILL 1
Score by halves:
Fort Collins 1 1 — 2
Smoky Hill 1 0 — 1
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.
