AURORA | The Cherokee Trail girls soccer team knows very well what its like to enter the Class 5A state playoffs and visit a much higher-seeded opponent on their home field.
The Cougars experienced the other side of that equation Tuesday evening, as they opened the postseason as the No. 6 seed and played host to No. 27 Liberty at Legacy Stadium.
Coach Jeremy Schaller’s team did exactly what a favored team is supposed to do in the playoffs, score early and squash the underdogs’ hopes of an upset, as Cherokee Trail scored three times and went on to a 4-0 victory that marked its first postseason victory since moving up from 4A to 5A.
Freshman Alesia Garcia put the Cougars (14-2) on the scoreboard just three minutes into the game and sophomore Courtney Schmidt and junior Sierra Rivera also scored in the first half for Schaller’s team, which will face a familiar Centennial League foe in No. 11 Cherry Creek in the second round. The Bruins dispatched No. 22 Fossil Ridge 4-1.
Sophomore Rebekah Burton pinged a shot off the crossbar and into the net in the second half for her team-leading 19th goal of the season to pad the lead for Cherokee Trail.
As underdogs, the Cougars exited last season’s playoffs with an 8-2 first round loss to Monarch and fell 3-1 to Pine Creek to open the 2013 postseason.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
(6) CHEROKEE TRAIL 4, (27) LIBERTY 0
Score by halves:
Liberty 0 0 — 0
Cher. Trail 3 1 — 4
Cherokee Trail goals: Rebekah Burton, Alesia Garcia, Sierra Rivera, Courtney Schmidt. Cherokee Trail assists: Aubrey Gessner, Rivera. Cherokee Trail saves:Taylor Heil (6 shots on goal-6 saves).
Full Class 5A girls soccer state playoff scoreboard & schedule, here.
