The Pagosa Springs High School Pirate boys’ soccer team picked up another victory last week, defeating the Manitou Springs Mustangs 4-1 at Golden Peaks Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13, and handing the Mustangs their first loss of the season.
Coach Trevor Gian explained that the Pirates anticipated a “tough game,” and that Manitou Springs will likely be a playoff team this season, noting it was a good opportunity “to kind of gauge where we’re at” in the state’s 3A division.
Gian explained the Pirates prepared to come out aggressive and aim to be first to every ball.
“Never quit on the plays,” he said.
The Mustangs were able to get on the scoreboard first after putting away a goal from a corner kick in the first five minutes of the game.
Gian explained the Pirates’ responded well and were able to dictate the pace of the game for much of the first half, controlling most of the possession.
“We didn’t panic,” Gian said, explaining the Pirates anticipated games this season in which they would need to put up multiple goals to stay competitive.
“I think the team responded phenomenally,” he added, describing the first half as “a bit of a dog fight” at times, with momentum shifting back and forth between the two teams. “We just flipped a switch and kept going after them.”
Gian also mentioned that field conditions factored into the game, with parts of pitch still waterlogged from rains that moved through the area the night before.
He explained that the Pirates made some adjustments in their attack to avoid parts of the field where the ball got bogged down.
Gian explained the Pirates started attacking down the right side, “definitely with purpose,” and were able to tie the game at 1-1 with a goal scored by Jacob Castaneda, assisted by Gavin Carter, with about 10 minutes to go in the first half.
Gian also noted the Pirates relied on their depth and were able to give players time to rest before coming back in with more energy.
“Going in 1-1 at half was huge,” he said, noting the Pirates created multiple chances before the end of the half.
Gian explained the message at halftime was a positive one, noting, “There was a lot of good energy at halftime.”
He mentioned the Pirates did really well coming out to start the second half by winning balls out of the air, contesting shots and recovering on defense.
About halfway through the second half, Carter was able to create just enough space to get off a shot from about 20 yards out, beating the Mustangs’ goalkeeper to put the Pirates up 2-1, Gian explained.
Gian also mentioned the emotion from the team on the field to players on the bench and from the crowd “was great.”
He explained that after taking the lead, the Pirates began to think about how to close the game out with about 20 minutes left to play.
Gian mentioned that the Pirates leaned on their bench and the depth of their team to cycle players in and out.
With about 10 minutes left in the game, Ryder King was able to chase down a through ball and beat a couple Mustang defenders, finishing with a goal to the far post, putting the Pirates up 3-1.
Gian commented that King put in a “phenomenal effort” to get his goal.
The Pirates’ fourth goal came not long after, with Milo Deitemeyer scoring off a corner kick from a “beautifully driven ball.”
“We’ve been finding ourselves in positive situations,” Gian added.
He also mentioned the Pirates looked “sound” defensively through the match and limited the Mustang’s chances to create quality scoring opportunities.
Ethan Bracken played the majority of the match in goal for the Pirates, coming up with a couple “great” saves, Gian mentioned.
“Good day for him,” Gian said of Bracken.
Gian described the matchup overall as a “great game of soccer,” noting it never got too chippy and both teams displayed quality competition.
He explained that the Pirates stuck to their game plan even after falling behind early, mentioning that his message to the team this year has been, “Good things will come if we do things the way we’re wanting to do them.”
Gian praised the effort from the Pirates, noting that the win is great, “but the effort from the team was great, just a great game of soccer.”
Additional stats were not available as of press time Wednesday.
The Pirates will be back in action today, Thursday, Sept. 18, as they host Grand Junction Central, with kickoff scheduled for 4 p.m.
On Friday, Sept. 19, the Pirates will head to Alamosa for the second league matchup of the season, taking on the Mean Moose at 6 p.m.
Gian explained that “training has been intense” as the Pirates aim to keep pushing with the idea that hard work pays off.
“The team’s ready to make a strong push,” he said, explaining the Pirates’ goal is to win the Intermountain League (IML) and earn a playoff spot.
“If we play the way we did Saturday … the sky’s the limit for this team,” he said.
The Pirates boast an overall record of 5-1, including a league mark of 1-0, and are in first place in the IML.
As of Sept. 15, the Pirates were ranked 25th out of 55 teams in the state’s 3A division.
Grand Junction Central was ranked 20th in the state’s 4A division with an overall record of 2-2-1, while Alamosa was ranked 40th in the 3A division with an overall record of 0-4.
clayton@pagosasun.com
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