Since the end of August, the Summit boys soccer team has been working toward enacting revenge on the Battle Mountain Huskies.

On Aug. 23, after battling for two, 40-minute halves and a partial overtime period, Summit fell to Battle Mountain, 4-3, at Summit High School.

The victory cut the Summit boys soccer team deep, but the team used the gut-wrenching loss as fuel for the rematch this week.

Since the loss, the Tigers notched a five-win streak and a recent tie against Eagle Valley on Thursday, Sept. 15. 

In Edwards on Tuesday, Sept. 20, Summit displayed its growth since it fell to Battle Mountain. This time around, the Tigers mounted an early lead.

“We had a certain way we wanted to play against them especially since we went down early the first time we played this team,” head coach Jotwan Daniels said. “We wanted to try to make sure we set the team up to be as competitive as possible to give us a chance to play.”

For the first 20 minutes, the Tigers inserted themselves into the Huskies’ defensive zone. The pressure paid off in the form of numerous opportunities. Eventually, senior Owen Gallo scored, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead before halftime.

Summit continued to pressure Battle Mountain’s defense in the early part of the second half. Summit controlled possession of the ball while creating opportunities in front of the net. 

The Tigers scored their second goal when junior Erick Barahona passed the ball to senior Alex Espinoza in open space. Espinoza buried the ball past the Huskies’ goalie, Cooper Skidmore. 

Following the Espinoza goal, senior Fabian Cuevas added to Summit’s total, bringing the game score to 3-0, after finding himself in a one-on-one situation in front of the net against Skidmore. 

With the Tigers firmly in control of the game, the Huskies were forced to ramp up the pressure. Summit had trouble responding to Battle Mountain’s extra effort, which resulted in two Huskies goals. 

The Summit defense, led by senior Evan Reil and sophomore Reece Bosgraaf, successfully closed out the game, however, giving the Tigers its seventh win of the season.

“We have a business-like workman approach to what we do,” Daniels said of the win. “I love how my boys compete and the way we do it with class and dignity. We just have to keep it going, but we are nowhere near close to where we want to play in terms of our best. The plan is continuing to improve, so hopefully come the start of October we are playing our best soccer.”

The Tigers advance to 7-1-1 on the season and 4-1-1 in league play. Summit will have a little over a week of rest before facing Glenwood Springs at Summit High School on Thursday, Sept. 29.

“This is a great time to recover,” Daniels said. “We are fortunate that we have a nice little break. We also think this is an opportunity to spend a little bit more time as a team.” 

The Tigers’ game against Glenwood is scheduled to kickoff at 5:30 p.m.