Aurora – It was an afternoon for anything but soccer, but Grandview and Smoky Hill played anyway Tuesday.
Nothing was decided.
The Wolves and Buffaloes fought to a 1-1 double-overtime draw in the wind and snow at Legacy Stadium to put the verdict on the Class 5A Centennial League championship on ice.
Grandview (10-3-1, 5-0-1 in league), ranked No. 7 in The Denver Post/9News poll, needs a victory or a tie this week in its regular-season finale against Boulder to clinch and get the top playoff seed from arguably 5A’s toughest league.
The third-ranked Buffaloes (11-2-1, 4-1-1) remain outsiders after getting upset 2-1 by Boulder last week.
Smoky Hill, which defeated Grandview in similar conditions to win the 2004 state title, opened the scoring Tuesday with a goal from sophomore Matt Hammett.
The Wolves, who extended their unbeaten streak to five games, equalized 12 minutes later when Alex Wiese redirected a shot by striker Paul Smith past goalie Dominique Griffith.
The snow blew horizontally in from the north, making it hard to see and even harder for players to maintain possession.
“It was terrible,” Hammett said.
The Buffaloes adapted first and had the best pressure for most the first half, despite attacking into the wind. Andres Osorio had a header attempt early, and Tyler Waggoner was nearly in the perfect spot for a redirection before Hammett scored in the 16th minute.
Adam Lanzaro got down the left side and sent a looping cross into the box. Two players jumped and missed at it before it fell to Hammett’s foot.
“I was going for the left side, but it kind of clipped out and went to the right,” he said.
The Wolves began to adjust and didn’t take long to equalize after a corner kick in the 28th minute.
Smith got the ball near the top of the penalty area and rifled a low shot through traffic that Wiese redirected perfectly to the corner of the net.
The second half was littered with chances for both sides.
Smoky Hill 1 0 0 0 – 1
Grandview 1 0 0 0 – 1
Goals – SH: Hammett (Lanzaro), 16th minute; G: Wiese (Smith), 28th.
Shots on goal – Smoky Hill 3-6-0-2 – 11; Grandview 2-3-0-0 – 5.
Saves – Smoky Hill (Griffith) 1-2-0-0 – 3; Grandview (Sherpe) 2-6-0-2 10.
Offsides – Smoky Hill 2-1-0-0 – 3; Grandview 1-0-0-0 – 1.
Corner kicks – Smoky Hill 1-2-0-0 – 3; Grandview 1-2-0-0 – 3.
Fouls – Smoky Hill 3-2-1-1 – 7; Grandview 4-2-1-1 – 8. Yellow card – Loken, G, 25th minute.
