Ralston Valley and Evergreen boys soccer teams light up the scoreboard at NAAC
ARVADA — Putting the ball into the back of the net wasn’t an issue Tuesday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.
Two of the favorites to make some noise deep into the boys soccer playoffs in Class 5A and 4A combined for six goals in the first 40 minutes of the non-league game at NAAC.
“It was a little more open that I would like the game,” Ralston Valley coach John Doody admitted about watching six goals find the back of the next in the first half. “When the game was 4-2, I really thought the game was hanging in the balance. I felt like it could go either way still.”
Ralston Valley — last year’s 5A state runner-up — eventually took a 5-2 victory over Evergreen in the all-Jeffco battle.
“It is always good to test yourself against the best. You learn what mistakes we can’t make in big games,” Evergreen coach Peter Jeans said. “At times I felt like we carried the game, but you can’t make mistakes against a team that good.”
It was the first goals the Cougars (3-1 record) had given up this season. Evergreen got impressive shutout wins against defending 4A state champion Mullen, Air Academy and Arvada West during the opening couple of weeks.
“The five teams that we’ve schedule non-conference are among the top-10 easy in the state,” Jeans said of the Cougars’ non-league schedule. “All the games have been very competitive.”
Evergreen wraps up its non-league stretch at Battle Mountain (1-1-2) on Friday, Sept. 11.
The 5-goal game by Ralston Valley’s highest scoring output since a 6-0 league victory against Lakewood a year ago.
“We needed to find the net more,” said Doody of the Mustangs that scored four goals in their first three games. “We have enough quality to score more goals. It was really nice to score some goals.”
Ralston Valley junior Buddy Pouchot did his damage on the pitch in the first half scoring the Mustangs’ first two goals. Senior Dylan Chambers assisted on Pouchot’s second goal and picked up a goal himself to give Ralston Valley a 3-1 lead.
“Before the game I actually talked with Buddy,” Chambers said. “We haven’t really had that chemistry before. I was talking to him and said that we should really be working together in this game. That’s a big piece that is going to come.”
The Mustangs (3-1) capped off the barrage of goals in the opening half scoring off a corner in the final minute. Senior Cameron Angell volleyed in a pass from junior Sawyer M. Lee with 22 second left before halftime to make it a 4-2 lead for the Mustangs.
Evergreen kept within striking distance with goals by seniors Will Glunk and Xavier Spungin in the first half.
“There aren’t many more people in the soccer world that I respect more than Peter (Jeans),” Doody said of Jeans, who has guided Evergreen’s girls soccer program to three straight 4A state titles. “We knew he would be ready and we knew he had a real quality side. That is a team that can win 4A. They have a real nice core of Aiden (Loftus), Will (Glunk) and Xavier (Spungin).”
The offensive output did slow in the second half. Ralston Valley junior Noah Kapustka put in his first goal of the season midway through the second half to extend the lead to 5-2.
“We have been working on it so much,” Chambers said of the Mustangs’ offensive explosion. “I think we could have done more, honestly.”
The victory was a nice 18th birthday present for Chambers.
“I stayed ready all day and envisioned it,” Chambers said of celebrating his 18th birthday with a goal and assist at NAAC.
Ralston Valley is on a 2-game winning streak after a 1-0 loss to Heritage back on Aug. 25 at NAAC. The Mustangs got a nice bounce-back win against defending 5A state champion Regis Jesuit last Friday night in Aurora.
“It wakes us up and it helps that it was early too,” Chambers said of the loss to Heritage. “We would rather it happen then instead of the playoffs. I think it was needed, not wanted of course. It is going to push us forward.”
