AURORA | Two of fewer than a handful of seniors on Grandview’s young, uber-talented girls soccer team, Mandi Duggan and Madalyn Germann made a veteran play at a key time for the Wolves Tuesday.
The Division I-bound seniors — who also happen to be club teammates — hooked up on the go-ahead goal in the second half that held up in a hard-fought 2-1 victory over rival Cherokee Trail at Legacy Stadium that no only kept Grandview undefeated, but secured a second straight Centennial League championship.
Germann volleyed in a cross from Duggan in the 67th minute to join sophomore Morgan Szarka in the scoring column for coach Tari Wood’s Wolves, who held on to knock the Cougars from the ranks of the unbeaten in a battle that finally took place after two previous postponements due to weather.
Coach Jeremy Schaller’s Cherokee Trail team allowed more than one goal in a game for the first time all season and finished the regular season 11-1-2 despite a goal from sophomore Makaela Hudcovic that tied the game briefly in the second half.
While Grandview (11-0-1) cleared one big hurdle towards their goal of an undefeated regular season, two more remain in consecutive days when they play 5A unbeaten Columbine and 3A powerhouse Colorado Academy on Wednesday and Thursday.
To remain unbeaten, the Wolves had to get past a Cherokee Trail team that took a big step forward in confidence and belief this season and showed it by playing toe-to-toe with a Grandview team it lost to 5-0 a year ago.
The teams alternated bursts of controlling play in the first half, but neither team could break through. Cougars’ goalkeeper Taylor Heil twice thwarted prime scoring chances by the Wolves’ Natalie Beckman with strong plays, one in the air to snare a cross and the other with a dive to stop the ball before Beckman could shoot.
Grandview junior Nicole Lyubenko — the team’s leading scorer with nine goals — warmed up her big leg with a number of long distance shots on the Cherokee Trail net early in the second half, then served a corner kick into the box where Szarka headed it in for her fifth goal of the season.
The Wolves protected the lead for 15 minutes until a foul called on them a few yards inside of midfield led to a free kick chance, which Hudcovic drilled toward the goal and got through the hands of backpedaling Grandview keeper Reagan McCombs.
Revitalized, the Cougars pressed for another goal, but Grandview would get it a few minutes later.
Duggan (a University of Kansas signee) flew of the right sideline and with a defender stuck all over her managed to get off a crossing pass just before the ball crossed the end line.
Cherokee Trail defenders weren’t expecting the angle of the pass and it came to an open Germann, who chipped it over a backpedaling Heil and into the net.
Duggan notched her team-leading eighth assist in the process, while Germann (a Murray State signee) netted her third goal of the season and first that came in a close game.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
GRANDVIEW 2, CHEROKEE TRAIL 1
Score by halves:
Cher. Trail 0 1 — 1
Grandview 0 2 — 2
SCORING
Second half
Grandview — Morgan Szarka (Nicole Lyubenko), 49th minute
Cherokee Trail — Makaela Hudcovic, 64th minute
Grandview — Madalyn Germann (Mandi Duggan), 69th minute
