2A girls soccer semifinals: Denver Christian rolls into championship game
DENVER — On an evening that saw dark clouds roll in above All-City Stadium, it was fitting that Denver Christian girls soccer stormed into the Class 2A championship game.
The Thunder (15-2-0) scored two goals within five minutes of one another in the first half, then cruised to a 6-1 win over Fountain Valley on Wednesday. It will be Denver Christian’s first appearance in a state title game since 2005.
Denver Christian’s Miranda Kortenhoeven scored two goals, both in the second half, to help the top-seeded Thunder put the game out of reach. Kortenhoeven now has 20 goals this season.
Denver Christian junior Sidney Beijer opened the scoring when she broke in alone on Fountain Valley keeper Ava Rahm and tucked a low shot just inside the far post.
Just 4:20 after that, Hally Herder, another junior, scored off a corner kick to give the Thunder a two-goal cushion in the first half.
For each girl, it was their 10th goal of the season.
After the break, Grace Phillips made it 3-0 in favor of Denver Christian with 33 minutes to play. Kortenhoeven then added her first tally five minutes later when her free kick careened in off the crossbar.
Fountain Valley’s McKenna Monk did cut things to 4-1 briefly — it was her classification-best 42nd goal this season — before Kortenhoeven scored again with 16:53 to play.
Denver Christian’s leading scorer, freshman Kara Amidon, made it 6-1 two minutes after that off a corner kick. It was her 26th goal of the year.
Denver Christian girls soccer has gone to eight championship games prior to this season, but none since 2005. All of them came when the program was competing in 3A. The Thunder have been 2A since 2015, and made two trips to the semifinals in those three seasons.
Fountain Valley ends the year 12-6-0. The semifinal appearance marks the furthest the program has ever gone in the postseason.
