The Summit girls soccer is heading into spring break with some well-deserved momentum and energy. 

After the Tigers started the season with four straight losses in the first two weeks of the season, the team has begun to turn its record around and is going into the week-long spring break with three straight road wins.

Head soccer coach Jotwan Daniels knew his team had the skill level, work ethic and determination to win games before the season began, but he admits that a handful of one- and two-goal losses seemed to dampen the team’s spirits in the early parts of the season.

“Those first few games, losing by one goal, playing against tough league opponents, had us questioning ourselves a little bit,” Daniels said. 

Summit lost to Palisade High School, 1-0 in its home opener on March 16 and lost another close affair two days later when the team lost to Steamboat Springs High School on March 18.

The Tigers attempted to rebound against Battle Mountain, but lost a third straight game by a score of 5-3 before dropping to 0-4 after falling to Eagle Valley, 1-0.

With several strong athletes on the team this season, the Tigers worked hard during practice to turn the outlook of the season. While hosting Conifer High School on Saturday, April 1, the team finally started to find its groove as a team and put its first tally in the win column with a 5-2 victory.

Summit led the Lobos 2-1 at halftime and powered through the second half with three goals. Junior Ella Snyder recorded 5 points with two goals and an assist, while senior Joselin Roque, senior Paola Arredondo and junior Mia Nelson recorded a goal each.

Senior Katy Clapp and sophomore Ella Kirschner were each awarded an assist in the game. 

Summit looked to get a second win on the season in a rematch against Battle Mountain on April 3, but the competitive Huskies squad thwarted the Tigers again in the 4-1 affair. 

With an overall record of 1-5, the Summit girls brought unfaltering energy and a persistent will to win as they took to the field in Parachute to face Grand Valley High School on Friday, April 7. The strong attitude showed in the game. The Tigers got their first shutout win of the season with a 6-0 victory.

Summit scored four goals in the first 40 minutes of the game with senior goalie Mya Fearer stopping every shot that came her way. The team topped the game with two more goals, while freshman goaltender Rowan Connelly closed out the game and continued to prevent Grand Valley from scoring. 

Senior Anna Garvert led the team in scoring with two goals, while Snyder scored a goal and added an assist. Clapp and junior America Arvizo rounded out the scoring with a goal each, while freshman Jaime Nadler recorded an assist. 

Following the dominant win over Grand Valley, the Tigers really started to roll for the first time all season. Summit got its second shutout and first league win of the season against an aggressive Steamboat Springs team on Tuesday, April 11.

In the Western Slope League affair, Summit scored a goal in each half, which was enough to lift the team over Steamboat for the 2-0 win. Snyder and Kirschner once again scored a goal each for the team in the win. Fearer was credited with five saves and another shutout win. 

With two straight shutout wins, Summit headed into its final game before spring break against Middle Park High School with a fair amount of confidence on its side.

Summit got off the bus and quickly got out to an early 1-0 lead thanks to Kirschner. The goal woke Middle Park up a bit, before long, Daniels said Summit started to falter.

“As we started to lose a grip in the game as an entire group I think they sensed a little bit of our uncertainty,” Daniels said. 

The uncertainty led to extended opportunities in front of the net for Middle Park, which sat on a 2-1 lead heading into halftime.

Despite Summit playing with a bit more energy at the start of the second half, Middle Park scored a third unanswered goal on a corner kick to really put Summit on its heels.

Daniels said the team scrambled and filtered through different formations, which led to a Roque goal. With continued pressure on the Middle Park defense, Summit forced Middle Park to score on itself to tie the game. 

With Summit in an offense-focused formation, the Tigers drove the ball down the pitch and found Clapp, who fired the ball into the net for the game-winning goal. Summit won its third-straight game 4-3.

The Tigers now head into spring break with a record of 4-5 overall and 1-5 in league play. More importantly, the Tigers seem to have found their chemistry as a team.

“Something changed last Friday down at Grand Valley when we were able to score some goals and get a shutout and build some confidence,” Daniels said. “That bled over to Tuesday’s result at Steamboat on Tuesday. I think that may have had us a little over confident combining into this one, but I think we just needed to remember that nothing is going to come to us easily so if we want a result we have got to take it.”

Although Daniels and the other coaches have little control over what the team does over spring break, Daniels hopes his athletes stay active and keep the team on the forefront of their minds while they take a much-needed break. 

“We’ve talked a lot about how you can’t take the week off,” Daniels said. “If you take the week off and expect to come back the player you were, you are going to come back the player you aren’t.”

Summit will resume its season on Tuesday, April 25 when it faces Glenwood Springs High School in Breckenridge. Following its game against Glenwood Springs, Summit will have five games left in the regular season with three games being played at home.

Summit’s game against Glenwood Springs is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.