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Inconsistent SHS blanked by Lobos at home

DEVON O'NEIL
summit daily news
Summit Daily/Kristin Skvorc
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FARMER’S KORNER ” The postgame opinions were unanimous: If the Summit High School boys soccer team continues to play like it did for much of Wednesday evening’s match against Conifer, wins will be tough to come by. However, if the Tigers play like they did the last 10 minutes ” and put a ball or two in the net ” the wins will come in droves.

Unfortunately for Summit, the team’s ferocious play late in the second half produced the same number of goals as its uninspired, individual play the rest of the match: 0. And so it was that the Tigers lost their 4A Jeffco League opener to the visiting Lobos, 2-0, on a frigid, wet night that drew mostly frustration for the home team.

Summit outshot Conifer 14-9, but couldn’t sneak any of those 14 past the Lobos’ backup goalie, Michael Rayner, who got the nod due to an injury to the team’s starter. The loss dropped SHS to 2-4 on the young season, while Conifer improved to 3-2 and exacted a measure of revenge on Summit for the 4-1 drubbing the Tigers imposed last fall.



“We just have to keep playing how we play,” SHS senior midfielder Michael Infante said after the match. “Tonight wasn’t how we normally play.”

Summit came out firing early on, but Conifer sophomore Walker Plant got behind the Tigers’ back line in the 11th minute, corralled a long pass and rocketed a shot past SHS keeper Tyler Reinking to give his team a 1-0 lead.



With about a minute left in the half, Bobby Potrykus doubled the margin on a similar goal to Plant’s, a shot from about 10 yards out that again eluded Reinking’s grasp.

“On both those goals he was on his heels,” SHS coach Peter Shafroth said of Reinking, who has been platooning with Garrett Hedman in net. “And I thought in the second half he was on his toes, which was good to see.”

It took the rest of Summit’s squad a little longer to follow Reinking’s shift from one half to the next, but when the others joined him, it was obvious.

Beginning with a Grant McGahey shot that sailed just inches over the crossbar with 5:12 to play, the Tigers let loose a final onslaught that drew constant cheers from the huddled and chilled home crowd.

Sophomore Daniel Chapman’s left-footed laser from 30 yards out was barely deflected wide of the net by Rayner; Jeff Spaulding narrowly missed burying a rebound two minutes later; then Rayner again saved the day, snaring Chapman’s one-timer from 10 yards out.

“That’s the kind of soccer we need to play,” Shafroth said. “And I think if we play that kind of soccer we can compete with any team.”

McGahey concurred, putting the onus on the Tigers to finish what they start when they send so many shots on net.

“Possession’s the name of the game,” the SHS co-captain said. “If we possess it, that leads to us getting more shots. Then we’ve just got to put them away.”

Summit’s Spaulding and Victor Casillas each received a yellow-card caution during Wednesday’s match. … The Tigers return to action Friday at Vail Mountain School, a 3A team they scrimmaged early this season but one that is not expected to give Summit too much trouble. … After that, the Tigers’ next seven matches will be against Jeffco League teams.


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