Fort Collins – Devin Roybal was still shrugging his shoulders as he walked off the pitch Tuesday night at J. Ray French Field.
The Rocky Mountain junior scored the winning goal in double overtime against crosstown rival Fort Collins, giving the Lobos a 4-3 victory in their first boys soccer game of the season.
“All game we were looking for someone to solidify the midfield, and he typically plays outside,” Lobos coach Daniel Ibañez, who coached his first varsity game after two years as the JV coach, said of Roybal, “and he was the one with the touch tonight. We moved him inside, and he got the job done.”
Earlier in the second overtime, Roybal had a direct kick sail high and off the crossbar.
“After I got a good foot on the first one, I was confident,” Roybal said.
After a costly foul on Fort Collins’ Zach Speed, Roybal set up for his second chance just outside the box. His shot could have hit any number of players in front, but got lost in the mix and sneaked by Lambkins goalkeeper David Martin.
“The first one just went too high, and I knew I could beat the keeper,” said Roybal, who scored the game’s first goal in the seventh minute. “But Coach said crash the net, and I just put it in the mix, there was confusion, and it went in.”
Said Fort Collins coach Jason Odorizzi, whose team fell to 0-2: “This is the first time in three years we’ve given up four goals, and right now it’s a building process. We dominated most of the game, and it’s just these mental letdowns where they get the goals from.”
On top of his two goals, Roybal added an assist worthy of replay on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” Tucked deep in the corner next to the flag, Roybal shook off a defender and sent a perfect ball to the far post that met a charging Mike Trowbridge, who finished off the play.
“That was real nice,” Roybal said. “But scoring the winning goal against a crosstown rival is even sweeter.”
After a 1-1 first half, Fort Collins gained a 2-1 lead in the 50th minute on Steve Emory’s goal. That set off a wild 10 minutes featuring two lead changes and two ties. Trowbridge’s goal answered Emory’s goal just 1 minute, 9 seconds later.
“The game became more about emotions; it was more like a heavyweight boxing match as opposed to our more finesse style,” Ibañez said. “Tonight was all about knockout punches, and it was end to end. It was fun to watch, but real scary to coach.”
Jon E. Yunt can be reached at 303-820-5446 or jyunt@denverpost.com.
