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Summit girls soccer triumphs over Glenwood Springs on senior night

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Cody Jones

Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
The Summit girls soccer team surrounds sophomore Ashton Eytel, far left, after she scored the game-winning goal during the Tigers' senior night game against Glenwood Springs on Thursday, April 10, 2025. Summit shutout Glenwood Springs, 1-0.
Cody Jones/Summit Daily News

There is nothing quite like a senior night game. After playing alongside one another through elementary school, middle school and then high school, athletes have one final chance to line up next to each other and try to secure a win against a formidable opponent.

Although the Summit girls soccer team still has a few home games left on its spring schedule, the team hosted Glenwood Springs High School on Thursday, April 10, for the team’s senior recognition night game. 

With a record of 0-3-1 over the team’s last four games, Summit wasted little time putting pressure on the Glenwood Springs Demons and forcing turnovers.

Wanting to hand Glenwood its seventh loss on the season, senior Avery Eytel and junior Anna Shingles led early drives down the field. Close to five minutes into the game, Shingles managed to launch the first shot on goal after sprinting to a pass up the field.

The Shingles chance invigorated the Tigers’ offense, leading to the team continuing to see scoring opportunities.

Glenwood Springs tried to flip the field in its favor several times, but were stopped short of putting a shot on goal by senior Olivia Lyman, senior Sadie Slahetka and senior Shaylah Nelson. As the Summit offense began to slow at the halfway point of the first frame, senior Ariana Vasquez sprinted through the Glenwood Springs’ defense and tried to fire a shot off. 

However as Vasquez powered her way closer to the net, she was tripped by a Demons defender, drawing a penalty. Summit tried to score off the penalty, but the ball was cleared down the field and Glenwood Springs repossessed the ball.

Despite Glenwood Springs holding Summit from a goal, the Tigers continued to crash towards the net with vigor. Junior Penelope Wiethake and sophomore Ashton Eytel both had great looks at the net, but the score remained tied. 

Glenwood Springs put a little bit of pressure on Summit junior goalie Rowan Connelly before the end of the first frame, but were not able to find the back of the net. 

The two, 4A Western Slope league teams went into halftime tied at 0-0. 

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With a desire to spoil Summit’s senior night game, Glenwood Springs charged down the field at the beginning of the second half and launched a shot towards Connelly. The chance forced Connelly to move into position, but did not result in a goal. A few minutes later, Connelly made an impressive diving save which was met by applause from the Summit crowd.

The two major saves fed energy into the Summit offense and quickly resulted in a fiery shot from Lyman. The shot was bobbled by the Glenwood Springs’ goalie before being wrapped up. 

The two teams then exchanged possessions for a good 10-minute chunk of the game before Avery Eytel and senior Delilah Staberg set up the team’s offense. A shot found its way to the Glenwood Springs goalie, but was saved before it could break the goal line.

Glenwood Springs soon answered Summit’s goal-scoring opportunity with a chance of its own, launching a shot towards Connelly off of a corner kick. Moving swiftly, Connelly got her hands on the ball and cleared the ball down the field.

With under 15 minutes remaining in the game, Summit buzzed in front of the net for a goal. In the span of a couple of minutes, several players sent shots towards the net, but were held from putting a goal on the scoreboard by Glenwood Springs.

Summit’s relentless pursuit for a goal eventually paid off when Ashton Eytel sent a powerful shot into the back of the net. The goal sent the senior night crowd into a frenzy, willing Summit to defend the net for the final eight minutes of play.

Glenwood Springs did not make it easy for Summit. Instead, the team put pressure on Connelly. With the game on the line, the junior goalie remained stoic in net, making saves that awed the crowd and her teammates.

Summit defeated Glenwood Springs, 1-0.

“Oh, it was such a great game,” Lyman said. “I am so excited that everyone brought their ‘A’ game and everyone was able to play together. I would say it was our best game of the season. For that to be on senior night is very rewarding.”

“It kind of feels like everything that we have been working on this season, clicked in this game,” Staberg said. “It is just so special that it was on the night that everyone was here celebrating us. It was just really amazing.”

Summit will travel to Greeley to take on Frontier Academy on Saturday, April 12. The Tigers’ next home game will be on Monday, April 14, when it takes on Battle Mountain High School at 4 p.m. in Breckenridge. 

“I think this game was a really big building block for our season,” Lyman said. “I hope that we can continue to bring this intensity and style of play to our Frontier Academy game, and all of our games going forward, because this was one of our best games of the season.”

The game against Battle Mountain will mark the beginning of a three-game home stand for Summit. The Tigers will take on Eagle Valley on Wednesday, April 16, and Mountain Range on Friday, April 18. The Tigers’ final home game will be on May 3 against Golden.

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