4A boys soccer: Northfield defends state championship game in second title match appearance

COLORADO SPRINGS — Not many teams can say they have the same success rate that Northfield boys soccer does.

On Saturday afternoon at Weidner Field, the second-seeded Nighthawks capped off a 17-1-1 season with a Class 4A state title-winning, 3-0 victory over No. 16 Battle Mountain, their second crown in as many years.

Five years ago, the team didn’t even exist. They’ve enshrined themselves in the history books in 40% of their seasons. The school had all the talent, ready to bud. They just needed the right gardener to cultivate the topsoil and help them flower.

“It is an ongoing process,” head coach Jason Keever said. “It’s like weeds in your garden, right? If you don’t take care of them, they’ll just multiply. And so you have to just stay on top of things constantly and then the culture, it just thrives from within when you do.”

A 5-10 inaugural season in 2018 excelled quickly thereafter and, during the 2021 fall season, the Nighthawks didn’t drop a single contest. Senior midfielder Jack Freimann, junior middy Ren Garfield and junior Quinn Tettero all netted scores against the Huskies to ensure they would keep that dominant streak alive.

Their defense, from their first game to their last, proved their most valuable asset as sophomore keeper Zander Kosmas, who made the move over from the Colorado Rapids Academy, gave up just eight goals while making 63 saves prior to the state championship. 

Once again, he was impenetrable against the Huskies on Saturday. He chalks the team’s recent success up to communication and chemistry as it holds a current, two-year record of 37-1-1.

“We spend so much time together, all of us,” Kosmas said. “We’re together after school for three hours a day, and we just have so much chemistry in the group. And that equates to just everyone knowing their roles and doing what they need to do. That just leads to less chances for the other team against me. And then when I do have to come in and make a save, that’s what I’m here for.”

Two years might not be enough to call it a “dynasty,” yet, but don’t be surprised if the Nighthawks find themselves back at Weidner Field a year from now. They’ve certainly already stunned the Colorado high school soccer community enough the past few years to put themselves on the map.