COLORADO SPRINGS – Talk about timing.
Forge Christian’s Kali Knight had not scored a goal all season – but when it mattered the most the junior found the back of the net.
Knight’s goal just over 13 minutes into the second half propelled the Fury to a 2-0 win over Buena Vista in the Class 2A state championship game Wednesday afternoon at Weidner Field.
“I don’t really know what happened,” the 5-foot-3 Knight said. “I got it passed back and I put my leg out and went for it. I have no idea how that happened. I was trying to aim for the net and hoping for a curve, and I got the goal, so I was happy about it. Off my foot I felt like it had a chance (to go in).”
Forge Christian coach Nick Arter was thrilled to see what unfolded for Knight.
“That (goal) caught us off guard,” Arter said. “We saw the ball out wide and all of sudden you could hear someone make a good connection with the ball. I thought it was a cross and that thing was in the back of the net before I looked. I was so happy for her. Kali Knight has been with us for three years and she had not scored all year, and she had been in a slump and down on herself. So to pull that shot off in the final match was brilliant.”
Forge Christian (16-2-1) finished the season on an 11-game victory binge, including a 1-0 triumph over Denver Christian in the semifinals. Forge won its fourth girls soccer state championship to go along with the ones it won in 2002, 2005 and 2008 all in Class 3A.
Buena Vista (17-1-1) saw its 15-game winning streak snapped after advancing to the finals with a 1-0 win over Frontier Academy in the semis. The Demons were trying to win their first girls soccer state title in school history.
The first half of the game, the two talented teams were just feeling each other out. With 1:10 to play in the first half, Buena Vista's Mae Blazer chased down the ball and sent a boot from the right corner, but the ball sailed right into the hands of goalie Rio Beck.
After the opening 40 minutes, Forge had just one shot on goal and Buena Vista had two.
When the two teams returned from intermission, they were sent back to the locker room for a lightning delay which lasted 33 minutes.
“We talked to the girls during the lightning delay, and I think they were just nervous,” Arter said. “We talked about what we were grateful for, the school, the blessing it is to get to play with one another and love one another. We said if you are going to love somebody, we are going to play and do it for each other. It is not about me getting the goal. It is not about me getting the glory. It is about playing for the Lord and playing for each other.”
The unexpected pause in the action didn’t leave Forge Christian’s offense in neutral. Knight broke the scoreless tie by finding the back of the net at the 26:57 mark of the second half.
“The first half wasn’t what we wanted, and we went into the second half with the mindset of playing for each other and that’s exactly what we did,” Arter said.
Forge concluded its scoring when Bella Brodbeck headed in a ball on a corner kick from Grayson Taylor with 7:12 left in the game.
“Our coaches built us up to get to this moment,” Knight said. “I was super impressed with the way our back line played. I trust all of them and they were really impressive today. It feels so great to be state champions."