Whether or not Denver Christian’s playoff victory Thursday was worthy of chocolate cake, coach Brad Homan is taking his slice.
The fifth-seeded Crusaders needed just 62 seconds to score against The Classical Academy but would go on to miss a wealth of chances and lose senior forward Christy White to a knee injury late in the game.
It was a classic example of a young team learning a lesson without facing any harsh consequences.
“We didn’t play with the desire that it takes to win in the playoffs,” Homan said. “You know what? You’ve got to learn that.”
The Crusaders (10-5-2) extended their season to Tuesday’s Class 3A quarterfinal round after defeating the Titans 3-0 in a game that wasn’t settled until the 73rd minute.
Dani Farkas opened the scoring and Lindsay Landhuis and Lisa Singleton both scored in the second half as the Crusaders won their fourth straight game and notched their seventh shutout of the season.
The Crusaders controlled play and sliced through the Titans’ midfield, but were either stood up by the defense or stymied by their inability to finish.
“The little things that we don’t do – not getting crosses in, not playing to feet – frustrates, even if we’re doing well,” Landhuis said.
The Crusaders will face No. 4 Rock Canyon (10-2-3) on Tuesday with a chance to avenge a 1-0 loss in their season opener.
The Colorado Springs-based Titans (10-4-2) came close to tying the game in final minute of the first half, but Wendy Stephens was unable to get much steam behind her close-range shot.
“We were definitely on our heels,” Titans coach Michael Fox said. “At least we stuck in there and made it competitive.”
While the Crusaders have won three state championships since 1992, the Titans are in just their second varsity season.
That lack of experience was exposed when the Crusaders got off to a lightning start after the game’s first corner kick.
Landhuis headed Shawna Hendrix’s corner kick toward the right post and had it deflect back across the front of the goal for Farkas to tap home past goalie Kerri Zynen (eight saves).
The Crusaders pounded away but eventually hit the doldrums before being awakened by Stephens’ near goal. Alexis Peterson thought she had scored at the halftime buzzer off a nice pass from Megan Marutzky but the goal was waved off.
Landhuis gave the Crusaders an extra cushion six minutes into the second half when she punched home a loose ball after another Hendrix corner kick.
The Classical Academy 0 0 – 0
Denver Christian 1 2 – 3
Goals – Farkas (unassisted), 2nd minute; Landhuis (unassisted), 46th; Singleton (unassisted), 73rd. Shots on goal – The Classical Academy 1-0 – 1; Denver Christian 6-5 – 11. Corner kicks – The Classical Academy 0-0 – 0; Denver Christian 5-3 – 8. Offsides – The Classical Academy 0-0 . 0; Denver Christian 1-3 . 4. Fouls – The Classical Academy 1-4 – 5; Denver Christian 3-5 – 8. Yellow card – None.
