Highlands Ranch – If ever there were a perfect time for thievery, Brooke Lamphere found it Friday night.
With less than a minute remaining and the scored tied against Columbine, the nimble Mountain Vista striker stole the ball from a defender and drilled a shot in off the crossbar to give the Golden Eagles a dramatic 2-1 Class 5A nonleague victory.
Lamphere’s second goal was an emphatic end to a game the fourth-ranked Eagles (3-0-1) dictated with smooth possession.
Lamphere opened the scoring in the eighth minute off a beautiful one-timed pass from Mindy Daines before the Rebels equalized on a disputed goal in the 64th minute.
But with time winding down, Lamphere picked the pocket of defender Rachel Lieberman, who had turned inside to avoid the pressure of Daines. Lamphere raced toward the goal and blasted a shot over goalkeeper Christine Delashmutt from just inside the 18-yard box.
“I was a little nervous about that one. I thought it went over,” Lamphere said.
The Eagles defeated the Rebels by the identical score last season and went on to shock the field by winning their first state championship in any sport. Friday’s victory was a small rebound after drawing 2-2 with Rangeview on Thursday.
Even without standout midfielder Chelsea Stewart, who was in Italy with the U.S. under-16 national team, the Eagles pressured the 10th-ranked Rebels the entire game, moved the ball well and played as a team.
“When we do that and when we play the simple ball and move it around, we get that team chemistry and that flow going,” Eagles coach Theresa Echtermeyer said. “We’re just better when we do that.”
The No. 10 Rebels (2-1) slowly rebounded from a sluggish first half and were suddenly rejuvenated in the 64th minute on a goal credited to Britney Schwaninger.
Schwaninger ripped a shot that spun up on goalie Taylor Rice and knocked her to the ground. Rice appeared to swipe at the ball before it rolled into the goal, causing some debate among officials before they ruled it good.
Columbine coach Peter Horvath said his team did not play a focused game and was reckless in its passing.
“Usually, we’re really good at holding the ball and getting into a flow,” Horvath said. “I thought certainly the first half was awful.”
Columbine 0 1 – 1
Mountain Vista 1 1 – 2
Goals – MV: Lamphere (Daines), 8th minute; C: Britney Schwaninger (unassisted), 64th; MV: Lamphere (unassisted), 80th.
Shots on goal – Columbine 1-3 – 4; Mountain Vista 3-2 – 5. Saves – Columbine (Delashmutt) 2-1 – 3; Mountain Vista (Rice) 1-2 – 3. Offsides – Columbine 0-0 – 0; Mountain Vista 1-2 – 3. Corner kicks – Columbine 0-4 – 4; Mountain Vista 0-4 – 4. Fouls – Columbine 8-2 – 10; Mountain Vista 5-7 – 12. Yellow cards – Swift, C, 24th minute; Lamphere, MV, 69th; Krosschell, MV, 76th.
