GREENWOOD VILLAGE | A bit of clarity in the Centennial League girls soccer chase slipped away on a cold and wet Thursday night at Stutler Bowl.
The showdown between league leaders Grandview and Cherry Creek see-sawed back and forth through two halves and two overtime periods, but the teams came away with a 1-1 tie.
The two-time Class 5A defending state champion Wolves had the only lead of the game after junior Morgan Szarka deposited a rebound of a Shalom Prince shot that hit the goal post, yet ceded the equalizer shortly thereafter to the Bruins. The teams played 40-plus scoreless minutes after that to remain deadlocked atop the league standings with two games remaining for each.
Coach Tari Wood’s Grandview team launched 24 shots and nearly found the deciding goal on several occasions — including a header by senior Jessica Hixson with less than two minutes left in regulation that hit the football crossbar above the net and deflected into the goal — but came away with a seventh straight plus result since an 0-2 start.
The Wolves (6-2-1 overall, 4-0-1 in the Centennial League) close out the league schedule against Smoky Hill on Saturday and Mullen on April 25.
Cherry Creek (10-0-1, 4-0-1) preserved its unbeaten start when senior Libby Geraghty ran onto a deep pass from Jackie Lasseter, eluded a defender and chipped a ball past Grandview goalkeeper Reagan McCombs 13 minutes after Szarka scored her team-leading sixth goal.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
GRANDVIEW 1, CHERRY CREEK 1 (2OT)
Score by halves:
Grandview 0 1 0 0 — 1
Cherry Creek 0 1 0 0 — 1
SCORING
Second half
Grandview: Morgan Szarka (Shalom Prince)
Cherry Creek: Libby Geraghty (Jackie Lasseter)
Grandview saves: Reagan McCombs (5 shots on goal-4 saves)