Chatfield shuts out D’Evelyn on the soccer pitch

LAKEWOOD — Chatfield’s girls soccer team hasn’t wasted any time diving head first into the Spring season.

On Monday, the Chargers played their third game in five days since the official start of regular-season play began March 9. 

“It’s about getting stuff done and getting wins when we can,” Chatfield coach Brock Blume said of the Chargers with already three games under their belts. “More importantly we were figuring out who we are as a team. That is what you saw today.”

Chatfield got second-half goals from juniors Emily Russum and Anna Snodgrass for a 2-0 victory over D’Evelyn. It was the first game of the season for the Jaguars.

The non-league game was a defensive struggle through the first 40 minutes. It wasn’t until nearly midway through the second half did someone put the ball into the back of the net. 

D’Evelyn was trying to clear the ball from just outside its own net, but Russum was able to get a foot the clearing attempt and deflect the ball past D’Evelyn goalie Lexi Ornstein.

“They kind of tried to clear it out,” Russum said of her second goal on the season. “I just took a stab at it and it went in. It was super important to get a win with this one.”

Chatfield (2-1 record) was coming off a 2-1 loss to Highlands Ranch on Saturday.

“Coming off a bit of a disastrous, flukey loss down at Highlands Ranch on Saturday, we finally got back our bearings,” Blume said. “We also got some players back who were missing because of club. It was almost like a restart.”

Chatfield got an insurance goal in the 74th minute with Snodgrass picking up her first goal of the season to secure the 2-0 victory. Junior goalie Alyssa Green picked up the shutout in net for the Chargers.

“We have a really strong junior core and they are really about being together, working for each other,” Blume said. “It’s an exciting year to have them around and one more year in the future.”

Blume had eight juniors in the starting line-up against D’Evelyn (0-1). The Chargers finished fourth in the Class 5A Jeffco League standings last season and suffered an overtime loss in their first-round playoff game against Fairview.

“We are defintely a young team and trying to do our best to compete with the older girls,” Russum said. “I think we’ll do well this season.” 

Chatfield’s will get a taste of the one of the state’s best in 5A later this week.

“That will be our first real test about what we are about,” Blume said of facing No. 4-ranked Pine Creek on Thursday at Chatfield High School. 

Pine Creek — who opens its season tomorrow against Windsor — lost in the 5A state quarterfinals to Columbine last year.

D’Evelyn won’t play its second game until two weeks from today. The Jaguars are scheduled to face Holy Family on the road Monday, March 27.