Golden boys soccer pounces early in playoff win over Fort Morgan
ARVADA — Golden didn’t waste any time Wednesday night on getting its first boys soccer playoff in five years.
The No. 11-seeded Demons defeated No. 22 Fort Morgan 4-0 in the opening round of the Class 4A state tournament at the North Area Athletic Complex.
“It feels great. My freshman year was actually the first year we didn’t make playoffs in a long time,” Golden senior Douglass Beeman said. “It’s been a goal of mine since freshman year to get here (playoffs) and get a win.”
Golden senior Aydan Roth scored 48 seconds into the first half to get an early lead and it was all Demons from there on out.
“Usually I get the ball off my foot quick to another striker,” said Roth, who had just one goal during the regular season. “I turned and saw all the space. I felt it was the time to shoot it. I couldn’t believe it.”
Roth would add his second goal of the night in the 70th minute to give Golden a 4-0 lead and put the game away.
“It was pretty crazy. This is my first year on varsity. I’ve been working toward this for four years,” Roth said. “The adrenaline from it is insane. I’m glad I was able to help my team and get us to where we are.”
Where Golden (13-3 record) are headed now is Pueblo. The Demons travel to Pueblo in the second round Tuesday, Oct. 30. Golden will face No. 6 Pueblo Centennial (13-1-2). The Bulldogs defeated Montrose 2-1 in overtime in a first-round game Tuesday night.
“On to Pueblo (Centennial) now,” Beeman said.
Beeman gave the Demons a 2-0 lead with a penalty kick goal in the 13th minute. Golden sophomore Daniel Erger was fouled in the Mustangs’ goalie box to draw a penalty kick.
“Daniel did a great job getting into the box and drawing the foul,” Beeman said. “Last year I missed a PK. It was pretty bad. I really focused on that during the off-season. It feels great to put one away in the playoffs.”
Senior Aydan Provencio put in the Demons’ third first-half goal off an assist from Ethan Toon in the 33rd minute to give Golden a comfortable 3-0 lead at halftime.
Golden’s last postseason win was in 2013. The Demons’ previous three playoff games were all 1-0 losses. A second round playoff loss in 2013, along with first-round defeats in 2014 and 2017.
“I think most of the boys were calm. I was calm,” Beeman said about the mood coming into the playoff opener. “We know how we can play and just focused on our game.”
Golden, conference champion for the first time since 2007, was the lone 4A Jeffco team to advance to the second-round next week. Standley Lake, Evergreen, Green Mountain and Littleton all suffered road losses Tuesday night.
