The fall sports season has officially begun for Summit High School. 

While fall practices got underway last week, Summit’s first home game of the 2025-26 academic year took place on Thursday, Aug. 21, at Climax Molybdenum Field in Breckenridge. 

This year, the Summit boys soccer team got the opportunity to kick off the prep sports season, hosting D’Evelyn High School in front of a home crowd on Thursday night.

In the team’s first game under head coach Julio Mora, the Tigers got off to a fast start, driving the ball down the field and sending a few shots toward junior Brady Ziemian, in net for the D’Evelyn Jaguars.

After D’Evelyn successfully defended a free kick, the team flipped the field and tested Summit for the first time. Seeing his first minutes of his senior campaign, Summit keeper Johan Gomez slid into position and deflected the ball wide to keep the game knotted at 0-0.

Over the next 10 minutes, both teams settled into the pace of the game and exchanged possessions. Senior Oumar Ba especially made an impact for the Tigers. Not only did the skilled player disrupt play defensively, but Ba also found a way to contribute on offense. 

The strong effort from Ba fed energy into his teammates, leading to senior Seth Montgomery breaking after a loose ball in front of the Tigers’ net. Drawing the D’Evelyn goalie away from the goal, Montgomery tried to beat a trio of trailing defenders, but he was beaten off the ball before he could fire a shot.

The lack of a goal did not discourage Summit. Displaying the team’s morale, the Tigers continued to push the ball up the field and challenge Ziemian. With close to 10 minutes left in the first half, Montgomery got another glance at the net, but this time the ball barely drifted wide of the left side of the goal.

In the waning moments of the first half, Ba performed a slide tackle on a D’Evelyn player driving toward the net. Ba celebrated the slide tackle, resulting in an untimely yellow card and his departure from the field of play.

In the wake of the yellow card, D’Evelyn sent a ball toward the net on a corner kick where Summit committed another penalty. This time, the whistle resulted in a penalty shot. With no one but Gomez to beat, D’Evelyn scored a goal to gain a 1-0 lead heading into halftime. 

Although the end of the first frame of play was disheartening, Summit returned to the field and continued to play with passion. Knowing the team needed an equalizer, Summit peppered the net with shots, but the team could not put a ball in the back of the goal.

Nearly seven minutes into the second half, D’Evelyn earned its second goal of the game after the team found a way to infiltrate the Summit defense.

With 30 minutes still left in the game, Summit brushed itself off and lurked for a goal that could cut D’Evelyn’s advantage in half. Senior captain Paulo Nieto led several dashes down the field, once again igniting the Summit offense.

It was eventually Nieto that found a goal for Summit, heading a ball into the net off a corner kick.

As the clock ticked under the 20-minute mark, Gomez became a brick wall in net for the Tigers. Despite D’Evelyn finding a way past the Summit defense, Gomez made huge saves that kept Summit’s deficit to just a goal. 

Montgomery, Ba and Nieto all worked together to find a goal, but were thwarted by Ziemian and the D’Evelyn defense.

Eventually, the heightened pressure from Summit resulted in D’Evelyn losing its cool and committing a penalty. The momentary lapse in judgment allowed Summit to get the jump start it needed to finish the game on a strong note.

With under four minutes remaining, Summit pursued the ball with a vengeance. Despite the team’s best efforts, Summit could not find the equalizer it needed, losing 2-1.

“We found a way to break through, especially with the ball throughout the middle and throughout the whole field with everyone that we have,” Nieto said. “We have a lot of talent, but we just got to get everything together.”

Summit will now prepare for a four-game away stand. The Tigers’ first away game will be against Rangeview High School on Saturday, Aug. 23, before taking on Wheat Ridge on Tuesday, Aug. 26.

“We are going to work,” Nieto said. “Look at the mistakes we made in this game and get everything together. I think the way we played in the second half, we can play with anyone. We are just going to push through and play.”

Summit’s next home game will be against Basalt on Sept. 9. The game is scheduled for 6 p.m.