AURORA | The city’s four survivors of the opening round of the Class 5A boys state soccer tournament return to action on Wednesday, seeking a spot in the final eight.
Seventh-seeded Grandview, 11th-seeded Rangeview, 15th-seeded Regis Jesuit and 17th-seeded Cherokee Trail all return to the pitch seeking to build off the momentum they created with first-round victories Oct. 27.
Grandview opened the postseason as a top-10 seed should with a 9-0 rout of No. 26 Fruita Monument, which earned coach Brian Wood’s team another chance for a home game. The Wolves (12-2-2) have a 6 p.m. kickoff scheduled with No. 23 Bear Creek (11-5), a 1-0 upset winner over No. 10 Mountain Vista, a team that advanced all the way to last season’s 5A state championship game.
Eleventh-seeded Rangeview defended the turf at Aurora Public Schools Stadium with a 5-1 first round victory over 22nd-seeded Greeley West on the strength of two goals apiece from Ivan Enriquez and Alexis Flores, which set up a rematch with sixth-seeded Arapahoe.
Coach Vic Strouse’s Raiders (13-2-1) suffered one of its two losses to the Warriors (12-4), a 2-0 loss in the season opener Aug. 25. The rematch is set for 4:30 p.m. at Littleton Public Schools Stadium.
Rangeview has been shut out only twice, once by Arapahoe and the other in a 1-0 loss to undefeated and top-seeded Denver East late in the regular season.
Regis Jesuit (10-5-1) outlasted 18th-seeded Vista Ridge 4-3 in the opening round, which moved coach Rick Wolf’s team into a difficult second round matchup against No. 2 Boulder, the other undefeated team in the field.
The Panthers — who have allowed just 11 goals in 16 games — welcome the Raiders to Christian Recht Field at 6 p.m.
Cherokee Trail pulled a mild upset with a 1-0 victory over Rock Canyon for its first postseason win since 2005.
Coach Jeremy Schaller’s Cougars (7-7-2), which got its lone goal from senior Raghav Thapa, face 16-0 Denver East, a team they lost to 2-1 on Sept. 8, at 6 p.m. at All-City Stadium on the campus of Denver South High School.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
2016 CLASS 5A BOYS STATE SOCCER PLAYOFFS
Second round (Nov. 2, higher seed host)
NO. 17 CHEROKEE TRAIL (7-7-2) vs. No. 1 Denver East (16-0), 6 p.m. at All-City Stadium
No. 9 Pine Creek (11-5) vs. No. 8 Fort Collins (10-3-3), Nov. 2, 6 p.m. at French Field
No. 21 Horizon (9-6-1) at No. 5 Fairview (13-3), 6:30 p.m.
No. 13 Legacy (11-4-1) at No. 4 Broomfield (13-2-1), 6 p.m.
No. 30 Fossil Ridge (6-9) at No. 14 Lincoln (12-4), 3:15 p.m.
NO. 11 RANGEVIEW (13-2-1) vs. No. 6 Arapahoe (12-4), 4:30 p.m. at Littleton Public Schools Stadium
No. 23 Bear Creek (11-5) at NO. 7 GRANDVIEW (12-2-2), 6 p.m. at Legacy Stadium
NO. 15 REGIS JESUIT (10-5-1) at No. 2 Boulder (16-0), 6 p.m.
