Summit soccer finds groove too late in home loss to Eagle Valley, 1-3
plindeman@summitdaily.com
Summit vs. Eagle Valley, March 21
1st 2nd Final
Summit 0 1 0
EVHS 2 1 3
FRISCO — It was a case of too little, too late for the home team when Summit High girls soccer hosted Eagle Valley on yet another stunner of a spring day. After a 2-1 upset against Battle Mountain last week, the Tigers somehow lost their groove Tuesday against an evenly matched Devils squad and gave up two unanswered goals in the first half. The girls never recovered, earning just one goal of their own in the second half while giving up another for the loss, 1-3.
Summit is now 1-3 overall and 1-2 in the 4A Western Slope. Eagle Valley improves to 2-2 overall and 2-2 in the 4A Slope.
Eagle Valley’s whip-fast forward line struck twice in the first 20 minutes. Senior Rose Sandell scored first, followed by sophomore Zoe Booth, and Summit was forced to start double-teaming the ferocious strikers. The home team’s haphazard midfield and defense settled after those first 20 minutes, but possession still totally belonged to the visitors. In the first half, Eagle Valley held onto the ball about 80 percent of the time. When Summit got the occasional touch, they were forced to kick the ball downfield or dump it out the sideline.
“It was a tale of two halves, and frankly we didn’t show up for the first half,” Summit head coach Tommy Gogolen said after the game. “That put us on our heels right away.”
Summit returned from halftime with renewed energy and fight, splitting possession about 50-50 for most of the second half. But that didn’t stop the Devils from capitalizing on breakaway opportunities, with Booth, sophomore midfielder Camilla Petterson and senior mid Hana Berge all taking shots on Summit freshman keeper Anna Tomlinson. The freshman still has plenty to learn, but she kept the attack at bay with great deflections and at least one or two saves on the ground. She’s not afraid to get her body between cleats and the ball, and that’s a good start for any keeper.
Summit finally found the back of the net in the 57th minute on a beautiful strike from junior Shannon Hogeman from about 30 yards out. But the celebration — and tantalizing possibility of a one-goal game — was short-lived when Eagle Valley’s Berge snuck a dribbler past Tomlinson in the 59th minute.
From then on it was a game of keep-away for Eagle Valley, and they excelled. Neither team had another good shot on goal until Summit found a second wind in the final 10 minutes, but all the Devils had to do was boost the ball out the sideline to stop momentum. The game ended, 1-3, with Summit on a frustrated final attack.
For Gogolen, momentum is the missing piece of the puzzle. Along with juniors Tanner McCann and Haleigh Lecklitner, Hogeman and the Tigers’ front line can be just as quick and explosive as the Devils (exhibit A: the Battle Mountain win). They’re only missing that team spark, and even though the season is young the Tigers will have to scrape to overcome a 1-3 start.
“The girls have the skill and the talent,” Gogolen said. “They just need to stay under composure. We have some work ahead of us. We have to play as a unit, posses the ball, move as a unit, and that’s all about composure.”
The Tigers next face Conifer at home on Thursday. Kick-off is 4 p.m.
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