Arvada – Kent Denver coach Arty Smith believes Metropolitan League rival Faith Christian is by far the most talented team in Class 3A.
That is why Saturday’s 2-0 victory over the Eagles was particularly satisfying.
Kent Denver scored early and late in the first half and goalie Ryan Bernstein made 12 saves as the Sun Devils, ranked No. 2 in The Denver Post/9News 3A poll, knocked off top-ranked Faith Christian 2-0 on its home field.
“Our defense worked the hardest they have,” Bernstein said. “It was close to a perfect game. We wanted to win it. None of those guys slacked off, and that’s why we beat them.”
Junior forward Grant Kraus scored in the seventh minute and assisted on Tyler Morton’s goal 66 seconds before halftime as Kent Denver (10-1-1 overall, 7-0-1 in league) extended its unbeaten streak to eight games.
After getting the water cooler dumped on him by his players, Smith praised his team’s game-plan execution. The Sun Devils packed it in defensively, played mistake-free defense and turned their counterattacks into goals.
“There’s no way we could run with that team,” said Smith, who hadn’t defeated the Eagles since the 2001 state quarterfinals. “They’re way too good and way too fast.”
Faith Christian (10-2, 6-1), a finalist in 2004 after consecutive state championships, came in Saturday having outscored 3A competition 58-0 in eight games this season.
The Eagles regrouped after unraveling in the first half and had the Sun Devils pinned down throughout the second half. But Kent Denver harassed en masse around the penalty area, forcing the Eagles to try more long- range efforts.
Faith Christian coach Will Lind said his team looked tired after a week of homecoming events that had his players up late – although he wasn’t making excuses.
“Kent was great,” Lind said. “They came out ready to play and we didn’t, and there is no excuse for that.”
Morton sparked the first goal with a header to the feet of Skyler Patrick, who was charging down the left side. Patrick pressed into the penalty area and cut a pass back at the last second for a charging Kraus to redirect past goalie Julio Hornedo.
Morton’s goal in the 39th minute was a strong header off Kraus’ cross that caught the Eagles napping in transition.
“I was just glad I was able to keep it inbounds, and Tyler was just in the right spot,” Kraus said.
Kent Denver 2 0 – 2
Faith Christian 0 0 – 0
Goals – Kraus (Patrick), seventh minute; Morton (Kraus), 39th.
Shots on goal – Kent Denver 2-1 – 3; Faith Christian 4-8 – 12. Saves – Kent Denver (Bernstein) 4-7 – 11; Faith Christian (Hornedo) 0-1 – 1. Offsides – Kent Denver 1-1 – 2; Faith Christian 0-0 – 0. Corner kicks – Kent Denver 1-1 – 2; Faith Christian 1-4 – 5. Fouls – Kent Denver 13-18 – 31; Faith Christian 6-11 – 17. Yellow cards – Morton, KD, 46th minute; Siegel, KD, 61st; Hambrick, FC, 76th; Malloy, KD, 80th.
