DENVER | If the Cherokee Trail girls soccer team ends up missing the Class 5A state playoffs, at least it went down swinging.
With any chance of making the postseason hanging in the balance, the Cougars rose to the occasion in an intense contest with a similarly desperate Denver South team with a three-goal second half producing a 4-2 victory Monday in their regular season finale.
Junior Torie Turner scored twice in the second half and sophomore Daniella Iaquinta’s goal turned out to the game-winner for coach Jose Rosales’ Cherokee Trail team, which improved to 7-7-1 on the season. The Cougars sat in the No. 30 spot in the 5A RPI standings coming into the game, which put them in peril of missing out on making the 32-team playoff field.
Senior Alyx Hiatt scored the lone goal of the opening half to give Cherokee Trail a lead, but Denver South (6-6-1) evened it up with a score that came on a rebound from a corner kick service less than five minutes in the second half.
Turner broke that deadlock with an outstanding individual effort that ended when she held off a defender ripped a left-footed shot through traffic inside the far post and added her 15th of the season a short time later to cap a three-goal burst by the Cougars.
Sandwiched in between that was a long, left-footed strike by Iaquinta that provided what provided to be difference after the Ravens scored again in the closing minutes.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
CHEROKEE TRAIL 4, DENVER SOUTH 2
Score by halves:
Cher. Trail 1 3 — 4
Denver South 0 2 — 2
