AURORA | The Grandview boys soccer team followed coach Brian Wood’s plan to a tee and the result was a league championship.
In a hole in the Centennial League title chase because of an early loss to Arapahoe, the Wolves did absolutely everything they could to get back on top.
Grandview got there Tuesday night with a 6-0 victory over Mullen at Legacy Stadium, which provided them enough points to finish in front of co-leaders Arapahoe and Cherry Creek in the final standings and claim the program’s first outright league title in a decade.
Six different players scored goals — Peter Goldy, Ian Oltman, Josh Pyle, Erik Robinson, Jose Raya and AJ Watters — and Grandview’s defense, which they’ve dubbed the “No Fly Zone,” posted its third consecutive shutout. Junior Angelo Mujica dished out a pair of assists and Oltman and Kyle Hernandez also had assists, while senior keeper Eddie St. Martin need to make just two saves.
The Wolves (12-2) close out the regular season with Valor Christian on Oct. 19
Wood’s team is currently No. 4 in 5A RPI, so it would be in the upcoming Class 5A state playoffs regardless of Tuesday’s result, but they finished it off in style with a league title and one of the conference’s two automatic berths in the postseason.
Grandview came into the game in a three-way tie with Arapahoe and Cherry Creek, with all three teams owning a win over each other. The Wolves downed Cherry Creek 3-0 last week to give themselves a chance going into the final game.
The Centennial League’s use of the NASL tiebreaker system worked to the Wolves’ advantage, as their 6-0 win over Mullen gave them more points than Arapahoe’s 5-1 win against Overland and Cherry Creek’s 5-1 victory at Smoky Hill.
Grandview finished with with 57 points in the NASL tiebreaker system, one better than Cherry Creek and three more than Arapahoe.
The Wolves Centennial League title was one of three league crowns earned by Aurora teams on the same night, as Hinkley clinched the EMAC championship with a 7-1 win over Brighton and Regis Jesuit captured the Continental League title with a 3-1 triumph against Chaparral.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or [email protected] Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
GRANDVIEW 6, MULLEN 0
Score by halves:
Mullen 0 0 — 0
Grandview 5 1 — 6
Grandview goals: Peter Goldy, Ian Oltman, Josh Pyle, Erik Robinson, Jose Raya, AJ Watters. Grandview assists: Angelo Mujica 2, Kyle Hernandez, Oltman. Grandview saves: Eddie St. Martin (2 shots on goal-2 save)
