Broomfield boys soccer will take on Boulder in 5A state title game
(4) Broomfield 2, (1) Denver East 1
AURORA — All the two-time defending Class 5A boys soccer state champions needed was a minute of offensive power to upset the tournament’s No. 1-seeded team.
Broomfield senior forward Jeff Robisch scored the game-winning goal for the No. 4-seeded Eagles as they took down No. 1-seeded Denver East 2-1 in the 5A boys soccer state tournament semifinals Wednesday night at Legacy Stadium.
The Eagles, 16-2-1, handed the Angels, 18-1, their first loss of the season to advance back to the title game.
Denver East junior forward Sam Carson scored the first goal of the game in the 20th minute to give the Angels an early 1-0 first-half lead. It was Carson’s 19th goal of the season.
But Broomfield’s transitory offensive spurt was led by junior forward Michael Mooney’s 52nd minute equalizer goal to knot the game at 1; and then Robisch’s long goal — a 53rd-minute dagger — ultimately sealed the Eagles’ fate back in the final.
“It was a crazy game and we knew they were going to be good going in, I mean, they were undefeated,” Robisch said. “We knew we needed to come out with our best to win it.”
Broomfield and coach Jim Davidson head into a Front Range League matchup against Boulder in the 5A boys championship at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday.
“The only thing motivating us is to get where we are on Saturday and win a third state championship game,” Robisch said.
The Eagles have the most state titles in the state with six.
(2) Boulder 3, (30) Fossil Ridge 1
Another undefeated squad was also on the schedule in the 5A boys soccer semifinals double-headers on Wednesday night at Legacy Stadium.
No. 2-seeded Boulder improved to 19-0 on the year with a 3-1 win over No. 30-seeded Fossil Ridge, setting up a rematch of the 2014 state championship with two-time defending state champ Broomfield.
Panthers sophomore midfielder Omar Castruita was the nail in the Sabercats’ coffin, scoring two goals in the second half — the first in the 67th minute and the second in the 73rd minute off a feed from senior forward Trey Pace. The goals were Castruita’s fifth and sixth of the year.
“I’ve been struggling scoring lately,” Castruita said. “I scored last game but other than that I’ve been struggling, but tonight was the night and I scored two good goals for my team.”
Senior forward Simon Julien put the Panthers up 1-0 right before halftime, slotting the ball in the right corner of the net in the 39th minute.
But Fossil Ridge was able to get on the board to tie the game 1-1 in the second half off a Cameron Viola header goal — his first goal of the season — on a corner kick from Martinez.
“We were talking about it during halftime that they would come out with everything,” Castruita said.
Sophomore goalkeeper Djibril Doumbia was making great saves for Boulder, including a very impressive save on a Fossil penalty kick by Grant Martinez PK three minutes into the second half.
Fossil Ridge and coach Zach Speed capped the season 8-10.
Coach Hardy Kalisher and the Panthers will take on two-time defending state champ Broomfield in a 5A rematch from 2014, which the Eagles won 2-0.
“My brother, Brian, played in the final that year,” Castruita said. “We played Broomfield early on in the season and we won. But we wanted to play them and they wanted to play us, and we’ll see them Saturday.”
Boulder has one boys soccer state title from 2012.
