Columbine girls soccer beats the weather and Boulder to advance in 5A state tourney

LAKEWOOD — Columbine girls soccer team proved it has no issue with pivoting when it comes to the Class 5A state tournament.

The No. 11-seeded Rebels were planning on facing No. 22 Boulder in the opening round of the playoffs on Tuesday, May 5, but with an impending winter storm approaching the first-round game was moved up 24 hours to avoid any weather issues.

“We had no idea until last night (Sunday),” Columbine senior Avery Bostwick said of the Rebels playing on Monday. “They texted us this morning saying we would be playing at 5 p.m. today.”

The fluid scheduling due to the storm that is predicted to 4 to 8 inches of snow to the Metro Area from Tuesday night through Wednesday was something the Rebels were fazed by. Columbine took care of business with a 2-0 victory to advance to the second round of the state tournament scheduled for Friday, May 8.

“I think it was really important to get ahead of the weather,” Columbine coach Brian Todd said. “Obviously, with it being done and us being victorious it was the right decision. Hopefully the conditions aren’t too bad for everyone else who is playing the next couple of days.”

Columbine (9-2-4 record) posted its seventh shutout of the season in the playoff win over Boulder (9-7). The Panthers came in playing well, winners of six of their past seven games entering the postseason. 

However, the 5A/4A Rocky Mountain League champions couldn’t solve the Rebels’ defense that has given up just 14 goals in 15 games this season.

“I always feel pretty good about our defensive shape, our defensive effort and our ability to hold teams down,” Todd said. “Any lead is good for Columbine.”

The Rebels grabbed a 1-0 lead on the 7th goal of the season by Bostwick. The senior forward raced with a pair of defender before sliding a shot past Boulder sophomore goalie Finley McCormack in the 33rd minute.

“It really set the standard,” Bostwick said of her goal late in the first half. “We hadn’t been playing to feet. We had been playing a lot of long balls. We just needed to calm down and find feet. That is what we did a lot better in the second half.”

Boulder’s best scoring chance came minutes after Bostwick’s goal. Junior Tula Gonzalez ripped a shot that went through traffic in front of the Rebels’ net, but Columbine senior goalie Ella Rieben made the save to keep the Panthers off the scoreboard.

Columbine got its second goal in the 70th minute by sophomore Ana Callas. The sophomore a goal disallowed minutes earlier, but Callas hammered a shot from the top of the goalie box on the Rebels’ next scoring chance that McCormack couldn’t save.

“Moments later the same player (Callas) wound up on the ball. It was an excellent strike,” Todd said of the Rebels’ second goal. “Ana put it into the back of the net. Onto the next round. I’m really proud of our girls.”

Columbine will face the winner of No. 27 Chatfield/No. 6 Legacy, who are scheduled to play at 5 p.m. Tuesday at North Stadium. If the Rebels’ rivals — Chatfield — can get the upset, Columbine would host the Chargers on Friday back at Lakewood Memorial Field.

“It is really exciting,” Bostwick said of the Rebels being the first 5A team to punch their ticket to the next round. 

No. 1 Ralston Valley was another team that moved up its first-round game. The Mustangs took care of business with a 9-0 victory over No. 32 Monarch up at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada. 

Ralston Valley took a 4-1 win over Columbine in the Rebels’ regular-season finale last week.

“It was really hard because we know we could have done better,” Bostwick said of the 4-1 loss to Ralston Valley. “We were up 1-0 and could have been up 2-0. We just couldn’t finish our chances. That is something we are working on moving forward in the playoffs.”