Arvada – Chris Beach had no idea which of his Peak to Peak teammates gave him the perfect pass Saturday afternoon.
To Beach’s credit, he didn’t waste it.
Beach sprinted behind the Kent Denver defense two minutes into the second overtime and booted a shot past goalie Ryan Bernstein as the Pumas advanced to the Class 3A state final with a 1-0 victory at the North Area Athletic Complex.
Beach’s goal in the 97th minute put an end to a defensive struggle and helped Peak to Peak (16-3) avenge two regular-season losses to the top-seeded Sun Devils (15-2-1).
“They just persevered all season long,” Pumas coach Peter Chandler said of his team. “In this game, we knew it was going to be tough.
“We have looked to the matchup because we also knew it was going to be difficult for Kent to beat us three games in one season.”
The fourth-seeded Pumas will play in their first state championship in any sport in the school’s five-year history. That happens Tuesday when they face Metropolitan League rival Faith Christian here at 5 p.m.
“If we’re going to take state, it’s going to be this year,” said Pumas goalkeeper Tyler Weber, who made just one save for the shutout.
Peak to Peak’s speed forced the Sun Devils to commit more bodies to defense. Kent Denver had limited success with its counterattack and spent most of the second half defending against the swarming Pumas.
“Peak to Peak is relentless; they just keep coming and keep coming,” Kent Denver coach Arty Smith said. “We weathered that storm in the second half but they got that opportunity in overtime.”
With a potential penalty shootout looming 13 minutes away, Beach got a long pass out of midfield by Logan Roos. Beach burst into the right side of the penalty box and beat Bernstein with a shot to the far post.
Beach said the pressure fell on him as he received the pass.
“It just hit me that this could be it, this could be the game-winner,” Beach said. “(Bernstein) moved real close to the front post, and so I just saw that and pushed it right past him.”
The Pumas missed several chances to win the game in the second half. Beach came close with a header from Brett Hill, and Chris Bostic nearly scored in the 72nd minute on a cross from Yash Flaten.
Peak to Peak 0 0 0 1 – 1
Kent Denver 0 0 0 0 – 0
Goals – Beach (Roos), 97th minute.
Shots on goal – Peak to Peak 2-1-0-1 – 4; Kent Denver 0-1-0-0 – 1. Saves – Peak to Peak (Weber) 0-1-0-0 – 1; Kent Denver (Bernstein) 2-1-0-0 – 3. Offsides – Peak to Peak 0-0-1-0 – 1; Kent Denver 0-1-1-0 – 2. Corner kicks – Peak to Peak 2-4-2-0 – 8; Kent Denver 3-1-1-0 – 5. Fouls – Peak to Peak 4-3-2-1 – 10; Kent Denver 4-8-3-0 – 15. Yellow card – Morton, KD, 57th minute.
