Steve Smith
Special to Colorado Community Media
Eagle Ridge Academy picked a good time May 11 to put all of its pieces together.
The Warriors scored three times in the first 21 minutes and turned back Timnath 4-2 in the opening round of the state 3A girls soccer playoffs in the rain May 11 on the Warriors’ new playing surface.
“These girls, they are amazing,” ERA coach Felix Estrada said. “They are always working hard in practice. It’s one of the things that helped us, marking one-on-one. We knew that was going to be a strong team. So, we worked on the formations so we can plug the holes. It was working well. We can’t play in line. We have to play staggered.”
ERA senior Megan Derby, who scored a goal, agreed.
“We were able to shift it better compared to previous games,” she said. “We talk about shifting the ball; otherwise, we get caught on one side. It won’t work as well. Shifting the ball is better.”
Derby said playing balanced soccer lets the 11 players on the field spread out more.
“We like to clump together,” Derby said. “It’s not good. If we switch the ball, we just scatter and run out and fill into our positions, rather than telling someone where to go and then getting lost.”
Addee Gonzales, a freshman, scored the Warriors’ first two goals. The Cubs, who finished the season with a record of 11-4-1, got goals from Maia Kub in the 34th minute and a goal from Samantha Jacobson by way of a penalty kick in the 69th minute.
“They were connecting. They were passing the ball. Everything we practiced worked,” Estrada said. “This game was amazing. We worked the whole week so we could play like this.”
“Our first game against Weld Central (a 10-0 win) was probably our best one. We did go down a little bit throughout the season,” Derby said. “But this is a big improvement from our first game. We passed the ball really well. We’re always working to find what we can do better.”
The Warriors couldn't keep the momentum going in their second-round match at Delta High School May 13. The Panthers scored all five of their goals in the second half and won the match 5-0.
ERA finished the season with a record of 8-7-1.
