Cherry Hills Village – Persistence took a long time to pay off Tuesday for Kent Denver.
The Sun Devils were methodical and relentless against visiting Fountain Valley, working the ball down the flanks and passing to the middle time after time at Justin DeSorrento Memorial Field.
Junior forward Tyler Morton finally broke the endless replay when he struck with his left foot in the 68th minute to propel top-seeded Kent Denver into the Class 3A state semifinals with a 1-0 victory.
“Every time we each had a good chance, but we just couldn’t put it away,” Morton said. “Luckily, one time we got it, and that’s what it took.”
Kent Denver (15-1-1) goalie Ryan Bernstein needed just two saves for the Sun Devils to record their 13th shutout of the season and extend their unbeaten streak to 13 games.
Each team played defensive and relied on the counterattack, a far cry from their Oct. 15 game during the regular season that Kent Denver won 4-2.
“What I’m most proud of with my team is they kept playing our system throughout the whole thing,” Kent Denver coach Arty Smith said. “We started to get a little frustrated, you could see it, but they never stopped working hard and they never tried to force it.”
The Sun Devils will face Metropolitan League rival Peak to Peak on Saturday at noon at the North Area Athletic Complex in Arvada.
The ninth-seeded Danes (13-4) nearly tied the game with 3:47 remaining when senior Max Seigal pounced on a loose ball and ripped a curling shot just wide of Bernstein’s far post.
Fountain Valley coach Paul Kim was proud of his team’s confident display, which he credited to the earlier match.
“Out of that first game we knew we could compete,” Kim said. “The big thing was staying defensively organized.”
Playing without injured senior sweeper Sam Munsick, the Danes gave the Sun Devils little room around the goal. Goalkeeper Collin Kriner made just three saves in the first half, his best coming on a rip by Skyler Patrick in the 30th minute.
The best scoring opportunity in the first half went to Sun Devils midfielder Henry Strazza when Kriner bobbled a cross. The ball fell to Strazza, who hit a leaping shot off the goal elbow with five seconds left in the half.
Fountain Valley 0 0 – 0
Kent Denver 0 1 – 1
Goal – Morton (unassisted), 68th minute.
Shots on goal – Fountain Valley 2-0 – 2; Kent Denver 3-2 – 5. Saves – Fountain Valley (Kriner) 3-1 – 4; Kent Denver (Bernstein) 2-0 – 2. Offsides – Fountain Valley 0-0 – 0; Kent Denver 1-2 – 3. Corner kicks – Fountain Valley 2-0 – 2; Kent Denver 4-2 – 6. Fouls – Fountain Valley 5-4 – 9; Kent Denver 6-7 – 13.
