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SHS soccer blanked by Jeffco-best Golden on road

Devon O'Neil

ARVADA – What might have been the most telling match of the Summit High School boys soccer team’s season ended in a loss.The Tigers fell to Golden 1-0 on the road Wednesday, dropping to 1-2 in Jeffco League play going into tonight’s Homecoming match against Jefferson. But the one-goal defeat came against the class of the league, and the Tigers (4-5) played the Demons (7-2, 4-0 Jeffco) every bit as tough as they did last year, when they eliminated Golden in overtime in the second round of the state tournament.”They’re clearly the best team in the league this year,” SHS coach Peter Shafroth said of the defending Jeffco champs. “So to have played them even, I didn’t have my head down at all after the game. They were older, bigger, stronger and faster, and we played them totally equal the whole game.”It was one of those games that should’ve ended in a tie.”Golden’s lone score came midway through the second half off a free kick. SHS defenders lost Sean Smith in front of the goal, and Smith beat Summit keeper Garrett Hedman with a close shot.Still, Shafroth said Wednesday’s match was “easily” Hedman’s best of the year. “He was superb,” the coach said.Also chipping in on defense was versatile sophomore Taylor Lynch. Shafroth assigned Lynch to shadow Golden’s star forward, Matt Garrett, who entered the match with eight goals on the year. Lynch shut him down, allowing just one weak shot.”He just stuck to this guy all night long,” Shafroth said of Lynch. “It was like they were glued together.”The Tigers had a number of chances on offense, but failed to score a goal for the third time this year. According to Shafroth, tentative habits up front plagued the team.”Our biggest problem is we get a small opportunity, and we don’t get a shot off quick enough,” he said, noting Golden’s keeper gave up some rebounds in the second half but too often there were no SHS players around to convert.It didn’t help the Tigers’ cause that they received four yellow cards – two for aggressive forward Jeff Spaulding and one each for Michael Infante and Daniel Chapman. Spaulding’s second yellow earned him a “soft” red card and relegated him to the bench for the rest of the second half.Summit will have to rebound quickly against the Saints today at 6 p.m. Jefferson enters the match at 6-5 overall, 2-2 in Jeffco play.Devon O’Neil can be contacted at (970) 668-3998, ext. 231, or at doneil@summitdaily.com.


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