Aurora – It’s not easy to break a lifetime drought, but it all worked out ideally for Overland’s Nathan Zeleski.
Zeleski’s header off a corner kick by Rodrigo Sauaia in the fourth minute of overtime gave the Trailblazers a 2-1 victory over Cherry Creek and the school’s first Class 5A Centennial League title. Overland won a state title in 1995 but finished behind the Bruins in league play.
The Bruins played two men down after red cards were issued in the final five minutes of regulation.
“There is no bigger reward than beating Cherry Creek for the Centennial League title. They talk more trash about us than any other team,” Zeleski said.
Overland (10-5, 7-0 league) has surprised many by going undefeated in the Centennial, home of defending state champion Smoky Hill and 2004 runner-up Grandview.
Losing four of their first five games did not change many minds, but the Trailblazers now are riding a seven-game winning streak, all in league. They did not give up a goal in league play until Cherry Creek’s Aric Goodman blasted a shot past goalkeeper Brian Molina in the 15th minute of play.
“To have only one goal scored on us in seven games is pretty remarkable,” Zeleski said.
Zeleski, a senior, was a physical force throughout the game, racing up and down the field and scrapping for every ball, loose or otherwise.
“He works hard every day,” Overland coach Brian Wood said. “He is probably the hardest-working guy on the team, though he can get a little out of control sometimes.”
With the game tied at 1, Sauaia lofted a corner kick to the near side of the goalpost, where Zeleski rose up with a defender on him and placed the header perfectly in the upper right corner of the net for the victory.
“We’ve been building this team up for a couple of years,” Wood said, adding that getting the No. 1 seed in the Centennial “is going to be huge for us.”
Cherry Creek (12-3, 5-2), No. 3 in The Denver Post/9News poll, will be seeded anywhere from No. 2 to No. 4.
“We were sloppy,” Cherry Creek coach Chelo Curi said. “We play better soccer than that.”
Overland’s Gerald Mota opened the scoring with a tough-angle rebound off a wide shot by Sabri Abdulgasem that bounced off Bruins keeper Connor Hutchinson.
Cherry Creek 1 0 0 – 1
Overland 1 0 1 – 2
Goals – O: Mota (unassisted), 13th minute; CC: Goodman (unassisted), 15th; O: Zeleski (Sauaia), 84th.
Shots on goal – Cherry Creek 2-3-0 – 5; Overland 6-3-1 – 10. Saves – Cherry Creek (Hutchinson) 5-3-0 – 8; Overland (Molina) 1-3-0 – 4. Corner kicks – Cherry Creek 1-2-0 – 3; Overland 1-1-2 – 4. Fouls – Cherry Creek 6-11-1 – 18; Overland 9-8-0 – 17. Yellow cards – Bench, CC, 31st; Zeleski, O, 35th; Goldman, CC, 50th. Red cards – Carmichael, CC, 75th; Bash, CC, 80th.
