The Pagosa Springs High School Pirate boys’ soccer team exited the state playoffs after falling to the Atlas Preparatory School Gryphons 3-1 in Colorado Springs on Wednesday, Oct. 29.
The Pirates entered the postseason as the No. 23 team, going up against the No. 10 Gryphons.
Coach Trevor Gian explained that the style of play the Pirates faced was “a little bit different” than the majority of competition the team saw during the regular season, with the Gryphons being quick with their first touch, passing and movement.
“It was fun to play soccer again,” Gian said, explaining the Pirates had opportunities and time to control the ball, string together passes and look for plays going forward without having to take on heavy challenges at every moment.
Gian also noted the match was played on a turf field, causing the ball to move and take faster bounces at times.
Gian explained the first 10 minutes of the match were “pretty critical” as the Pirates attempted to settle in and find some control.
“We had to adjust to that early,” he said, but “we settled in.”
The Gryphons were able to get on the scoreboard first with a goal coming around the 15-minute mark from a corner kick that was taken short, with the Gryphons getting a shot off quickly, Gian explained.
Gian added that the Pirates were able to create some scoring chances of their own in the first half, mainly by moving attacking players in behind the Gryphons defenders.
“We were able to get behind, too, on counters,” he said, noting that was part of the Pirates’ game plan going into the match.
Gian mentioned again the opening portion of the match was “pretty fast-paced,” but the Pirates felt confident in their ability to play the ball up through the midfield and look to play through balls.
He also explained there was more structure and “flow to the game” than what the Pirates faced during their Intermountain League matches, noting the Pirates did not have many games this season to prepare for that style of play.
“It was nice to get a chance to possess the ball, to look at quality transitions,” Gian said, noting the Pirates were playing with creativity and vision on the field.
Gian mentioned that giving up the goal early in the first half from the corner kick “hurt,” but that “we never panicked.”
The Pirates were able to gain more possession of the ball as the first half went on, creating quality chances, Gian explained.
At halftime, down 1-0, Gian explained that was a situation the Pirates were kind of hoping for — to be in a tight game with everything to play for in the second half.
Gian spoke highly of the Pirates’ resiliency shown throughout the season, noting that being behind was not ideal, but the Pirates have shown that they are capable of coming from behind to win.
“We were ready to just go do our thing,” he said.
Gian recalled multiple missed chances for both teams in the first half, noting that a “couple bounces here and there in that game really dictated the outcome, little bit unfortunate here and there for a few things.”
Gian also noted that Gavin Carter was unable to go the whole match, explaining Carter picked up a “strain” in warmups and was not 100 percent ready, and only able to play for about 10 minutes before needing to come off.
Gian added that the injury to Carter was a “tough blow,” but he commended other Pirates for stepping up and finding a way to make an impact.
“We knew we were getting ready to give it everything we had in that second half, and we did,” Gian said.
In the second half, the Pirates were able to generate some offensive play through counterattacks spearheaded by Jacob Castaneda, Chance Ramirez and Ryder King, Gian noted.
Gian commented that King “did a fantastic job” on the day, despite missing a couple of scoring chances.
“Obviously we’re not in any kind of position like we are without him this year,” Gian said of King, noting it was unfortunate for the Pirate to not be able to put away more goals, “but it wasn’t for a lack of effort that we lose that game.”
He added, “We fought tooth and nail.”
Gian explained there were two calls in the second half that could have influenced the match, pointing toward one possible missed call in the Gryphon’s penalty area with a Pirate being pushed down while going for a header. Another foul against King was called as he was tackled from behind on a “promising attack,” though no Gryphons defender was carded.
The Pirates began pushing up the field more with Milo Deitemeyer and Castaneda attempting to put the Gryphons under more pressure, Gian explained.
The Gryphons were able to score two more times with a good finish and a quicker reaction to the ball in a slightly chaotic moment in the Pirates’ penalty area, Gian explained.
After going down 3-0, Gian mentioned that it could have been easy for the Pirates to get down on themselves in a hostile environment on the road up against a quality team and passionate fans, but the Pirates did just the opposite.
“We held ourselves together,” Gian said, noting there was “no give-up in those boys” as the Pirates fought hard until the final whistle.
Gian added that he “couldn’t be more proud” of the season the Pirates had and that “it’s not always about results. It’s about who we are.”
The Pirates were able to pull one goal back in the closing portion of the match with goal on a “great individual effort” by Deitemeyer, who was able to beat a Gryphon defender and “poke it home” past the goalkeeper.
Gian described the goal as a “great moment” with the Pirates putting the Gryphons on their heels a little bit before the end of the match.
Gian noted that Deitemeyer created a couple of other scoring opportunities and that the Pirates got what they wanted with the Gryphon defense as they were able to generate multiple chances with quick through balls being played behind their backline.
“We had some really good looks,” Gian said. “Just wasn’t our day.”
He explained that the Gryphons were able to capitalize on their chances and that, on a different day, with a couple of different bounces, the score could have also been different.
“Some days it’s like that,” he said, mentioning the team was obviously heartbroken for its season to end, but that he couldn’t be more proud of the Pirates never giving up and fighting “to the end.”
“I’ll take those guys against anybody,” Gian said of the Pirates.
Gian also commended the Gryphons, noting they are the No. 10-ranked team in the state for a reason, and they were able to rise to their moment, but that each team was able to dominate the game at times, with the majority of the match being fairly even and competitive.
The Pirates ended the match with a total of 20 shots, with 10 of those being on target.
King attempted six shots, with two of those on target; Castaneda attempted two shots, with one on target; Ramirez attempted three shots, with two on target; Deitemeyer attempted five shots, with four on target and one goal; and Hudson Davis attempted four shots, with one on target.
Pirate goalkeeper Ethan Bracken played 60 minutes and came up with three saves, while Taylor Wells played 20 minutes and came up with four saves.
“We had our chance, and that’s all we can ask for,” Gian said, noting that he was disappointed to lose the match, but not disappointed with the way the Pirates played.
Gian noted that everyone who traveled with the team was able to get some playing time, highlighting the importance of getting younger players experience in first-round playoff matches.
Gian explained that one of his messages to the team after the game was that the Pirates have shown they can compete with just about anybody.
“If that’s a top 10 team, I feel we can play with anybody in the state on that 3A level,” he said.
Gian went on to comment on the seniors who played their last game as a Pirate, noting that is always a hard day and an emotional moment.
He explained that the team is always playing to win, but that these are young people “playing the game they love, and that’s what we try to get back to” after a long and demanding season.
Gian commented that the Pirates have “earned the respect that hopefully teams are giving ‘em.”
“We had such a great squad,” Gian said, noting it is bittersweet for the season coming to a close. “I’ll miss this team for sure.”
Gian also mentioned that, despite the loss to Atlas Preparatory, the Pirates “got back to having fun” and were able to enjoy playing quality soccer against a quality opponent.
“It was fun just to play soccer again,” he said. “I think we did a great job up there.”
Gian indicated that the Pirates may try to schedule more matches against opponents from the Denver metro and Front Range areas during next year’s regular season to help prepare the team for what kind of competition it might face in the playoffs.
“Coming from Pagosa, you have to play with heart,” Gian said, commenting on the team’s effort and how that speaks to them as individuals, not just soccer players.
He added, “They got a lot to look forward to.”
Gian also commended assistant coach Dyan Rice, along with the program’s junior varsity players and “everyone who was asked to step up,” noting it has “just been a really, really quality experience here to be a Pirate, and hopefully they enjoyed it, too.”
Season leaders
According to stats entered into Max Preps, King led the Pirates in goals scored on the season with a total of 16 goals scored in 15 games.
Carter was second in goals scored on the season, scoring a total of 11 goals in 15 games, followed by Deitemeyer, who scored a total of seven.
Ramirez and Castaneda each scored four goals on the season.
The Pirates as a team scored a total of 50 goals on the season, and allowed only 12.
Leading the Pirates in assists on the season were Ramirez and Carter, each with seven. They’re followed up by Elmer Castillo who had four assists on the season.
The Pirates ended the season with a overall record of 11-3-1 and league mark of 5-0-1.
clayton@pagosasun.com
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