While it may have taken the Summit High School boys soccer team a few weeks to build team chemistry and adjust to the new regime under first-year head coach Julio Mora, the Tigers are now catching fire. 

With a robust background in coaching soccer, Mora spent the first several weeks of the season working to develop his team of skilled athletes. 

Summit began the season with a 2-1 loss to D’Evelyn High School on Aug. 21 before dropping games to Rangeview High School, Wheat Ridge High School and Battle Mountain High School. Though Summit was shutout 3-0 by Wheat Ridge and 7-0 by Battle Mountain, the team learned something from each game, quickly returning to practice and correcting shortcomings.   

Summit started the month of September with a 6-3 loss to Rifle High School on Sept. 6 before being rewarded with a win against Basalt High School on Sept. 9. The 2-1 victory improved the team’s record to 1-5 and immediately injected energy into the team. 

Following the monumental win, Summit went on to host Roaring Fork High School on Sept. 13. The Tigers hung tough against the competitive opponent, but they fell to the Roaring Fork Rams, 5-3. 

Several days later on Thursday, Sept 18, Summit hosted Battle Mountain for the series finale between the two teams. Summit looked way more composed against last year’s Class 4A state semifinalist, but the team was still not able to muster a win.

Entering halftime trailing by three goals, Summit cut into Battle Mountain’s lead in the final 40-minute half by scoring twice. Summit dug deep to defeat the strong soccer team, but the team was thwarted by sophomore goalie Luc Glendining and the Battle Mountain defense.  

Battle Mountain scored a fourth goal to seal a 4-2 victory over Summit. Senior Jakob Methvin had two goals for Battle Mountain in the win with junior Anthony Sanchez and sophomore Carlos Velasquez netting a goal each. 

Summit did not let the two back-to-back losses affect the team’s morale. Instead, the Tigers traveled to Vail to take on the Vail Mountain School Rangers on Tuesday, Sept 23. 

From the opening moments of the game, Summit commanded both sides of the field. The Tigers got close to scoring a goal in the first half of the game, but they were not able to find the twine at the back of the net. 

Wanting to record a second win, Summit scored two goals in the latter half. The two goals were enough for the team to record its first shutout win of the season, defeating Vail Mountain School, 2-0. Summit senior Lyrik Montgomery scored the first goal for the team (assisted by senior Luis Venegas) while senior Elijah Rowe netted the second (assisted by sophomore Aldo Leoner).

“The boys have been working super hard and it was great to see them playing with high intensity and determination,” Mora said. “We still have a lot of room for improvement, however, with everyone on the same page, they should continue on the way up and I am hoping that it shows in the results for the upcoming games.”

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With an overall record of 2-7, Summit will now prepare for its third 4A Western Slope league game of the season against Eagle Valley High School on Saturday, Sept. 27. As of Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 24, Eagle Valley was 5-3-1 overall on the season and 1-1 in league play. The game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. 

Summit will play its next home game against Grand Valley High School on Oct. 9 at 6 p.m. After the Grand Valley game, the Tigers have three more matches including two, 4A Western Slope league home games.