Aurora – Cheyenne Mountain stressed all year that it wanted to keep the ball on the ground. So much so that during a few regular-season games, anyone guilty of kicking the ball in the air had to sit on the sideline.
Funny, then, that a looping moonball off a corner kick by senior Megan Stinar set up Karly Findorff for the Class 4A girls soccer state-title winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Niwot on Tuesday at Legacy Stadium.
“It worked exactly how we wanted it to,” said Cheyenne Mountain coach Nikki Athey, who played at the school before becoming head coach this year.
Well, it didn’t work exactly how Stinar wanted it to, but she and her teammates will take it.
“Actually, since the wind was with us, I was shooting straight for the goal and Karly just finished it for me,” Stinar said.
Cheyenne Mountain (16-2-2) won its first girls soccer title since 1997, when it claimed the 3A trophy. Niwot (13-5-2) surprised a lot of people by taking its No. 14 seed all the way to the title game.
“We surprised everybody but ourselves,” Niwot coach Jeremy Pinard said.
Playing in a blustery wind, Niwot appeared to have the first-half advantage.
Forward Jenna Hayes put the pressure on Indians goalkeeper Whitney Hough early and often, delivering a shot on goal in the opening five minutes and then setting up Kelly Creighton for a chance minutes later.
At the half, the Cougars lost the wind advantage and Cheyenne Mountain started to apply the pressure. First Kaitlin Tomeo delivered a long shot on goal, easily saved by Niwot keeper Jessica Steinberg. But Kelly Lawson followed that attempt with a hard blast that bounced off the crossbar.
Two minutes later, however, in the 57th minute of action, Cheyenne Mountain finally broke through.
Stinar lined up for the left-footed corner and sent the ball high into the wind, where it seemed suspended for a moment before dropping.
“It was kind of like it was in slow motion. It was awesome,” Hough said of her vantage point at the other end of the field.
Findorff found some room among the wave of defenders and went up for the header.
“I could see it going in the entire way. There was a bunch of green around me and nobody seemed to go up with me, so I just went up and knocked it home,” said Findorff, who scored 15 goals this season.
Niwot still had some time on the clock, and the Cougars’ best attempt came in the final 18 minutes when Creighton found herself in a sprint with Hough for a loose ball in the goal box. They arrived at the same time, but Hough survived the collision with the ball.
“It’s pretty cool,” Athey said of winning a title for her alma mater. “We are trying to build our future.”
Cheyenne Mountain 0 1 – 1
Niwot 0 0 – 0
Goal – Findorff (Stinar), 57th minute.
Shots on goal – Cheyenne Mountain 1-2 – 3; Niwot 4-1 – 5. Saves – Cheyenne Mountain (Hough) 4-1 – 5; Niwot (Steinberg) 1-1 – 2. Offsides – Cheyenne Mountain 0-0 – 0; Niwot 2-0 – 2. Corner kicks – Cheyenne Mountain 0-3 – 3; Niwot 2-0 – 2. Fouls – Cheyenne Mountain 2-2 – 4; Niwot 8-2 – 10. Yellow cards – Daly, N, 75th.
