Arvada – Broomfield brought pressure Tuesday night that Liberty simply couldn’t withstand.
The second-seeded Eagles played at another level at the North Area Athletic Complex, harassing and outworking the No. 1 Lancers in arguably their best game of the season.
And it came at the perfect time in their season. The Eagles got goals from Nathan Kafer and Ryan Aweida early in the second half to lock up their third Class 4A state title with a 2-0 victory before an overflow crowd.
Broomfield (19-1) took it to the Lancers (18-2) from the opening whistle, neutralizing Liberty’s attack by pressuring its defense.
“We decided to just pressure them in the back and stick our forwards on them all night,” Broomfield coach Jim Davidson said.
After dominating a scoreless first half, Kafer bagged the opening goal 13 seconds into the second half when he pounced on a failed clearance and rifled a low shot past goalie Spencer Lang.
Kafer, The Post’s most valuable player, epitomized the Eagles’ attack. The junior forward chased every ball, pestered every defender and was rewarded.
“I was a little worried with our chances early on because we had so many and we just weren’t finishing,” Kafer said.
Broomfield’s most recent state title came in 2002 when the Eagles defeated Liberty 1-0.
“They came at us harder than anybody else the whole season,” Liberty coach Mike Goyden said, who guided the Lancers to a title last season. “I’ve seen Broomfield play several times, and I thought this was the best game they’ve played. They deserved that.”
The Eagles doubled their advantage in the 47th minute on Kenan Bisic’s 30-yard throw-in. Lang was unable to control the ball and it dropped right to Aweida, who made no mistake from 3 yards out.
“That was a good goal because it made them have a bigger reach to get us,” said Aweida, who credited teammate Marlin Boyer for his work in the defensive midfield that allowed the Eagles to attack with confidence.
The up-and-down game claimed its first victim in the seventh minute when the head referee had to be replaced after straining his hamstring.
The Eagles controlled much of the first half, forcing six corner kicks and three saves from the Liberty defense.
Kafer, Bisic, Ryan Garren and Aweida each came close to scoring in the first half.
Broomfield 0 2 – 2
Liberty 0 0 – 0
Goals – Kafer (unassisted), 41st minute; Aweida (unassisted), 47th.
Shots on goal – Broomfield 3-5 – 8; Liberty 1-3 – 4. Saves – Broomfield (Hanson) 1-3 – 4; Liberty (Lang) 2-3 – 5. Corner kicks – Broomfield 6-2 – 8; Liberty 3-0 – 3. Offsides – Broomfield 2-3 – 5; Liberty 0-1 – 1. Fouls – Broomfield 5-4 – 9; Liberty 5-9 – 14. Yellow cards – Bisic, B, 58th minute; Boyer, B, 61st; Reed, L, 75th.
