Aurora – One hundred and 10 minutes of Class 5A boys soccer playoffs Saturday at Legacy Stadium – 80 minutes of regulation and two 15-minute sudden-death overtimes – came down to a shootout.
And more specifically the Rosales brothers: Miguel, Smoky Hill’s senior goalkeeper whom many consider the best keeper in the state (he was named all-Colorado goalkeeper twice by The Denver Post) and his younger brother, junior mid-defender Antonio.
Miguel, who has allowed just seven goals all season, made two crucial saves in the shootout and Antonio scored the winning goal in the 4-3 shootout victory over Mountain Vista.
The Centennial League Buffaloes (13-2-2), who won the state championship in 1999, 2001, 2004 and finished runner-up last year, will meet the Poudre-Grandview winner in Tuesday’s quarterfinals. The Continental League Golden Eagles hang up their cleats with a 13-4 record.
Mountain Vista, with junior Johnny Foley in goal, won the shootout coin-toss and senior forward Josh Belfrage beat Miguel Rosales with a low shot on the right side from the penalty dot for a 1-0 lead.
After Buffaloes senior Tyler Waggoner missed with a high shot over the crossbar, junior midfielder Aaron Woodruff made it 2-0 after beating Miguel Rosales to the high left side.
Tyler Burns, senior mid-defenseman, cut Smoky Hill’s deficit to 2-1 with a low shot past Foley’s left side.
As the Smoky Hill fans chanted “Miguel, Miguel, Miguel,” the all-state keeper deflected senior midfielder Calvin Cook’s shot with his right hand and the ball hit the post.
Sophomore Matt Hammett tied it 2-2 and Miguel Rosales’ diving block of forward Donny Stone’s low line drive kept the Buffaloes alive. John Garcia, senior mid-defenseman, gave Smoky Hill a 3-2 lead and Danny Starr tied it 3-3.
Antonio Rosales stepped up and beat Foley high left.
“I just wanted to see how he would get the shot off. I just reacted to it,” Miguel said of his second save.
“There were two good teams going at it out there,” he said. “Foley’s good. I respect him. It came down to two good keepers.”
“My brother did the first part. I had to do the second part,” said Antonio, who finished the regular season with nine goals. “I had to get it past (Foley) no matter what.”
Third-year coach Danny Winsor said Miguel is “a great leader and technically one of the best keepers in the state. He is one of the most skilled.
“We had four overtimes this year,” he said. “And we practiced shootouts the last six practices. I’m glad that we’ll be practicing Monday.”
Smoky Hill 0 0 0 0 – 0 (4)
Mountain Vista 0 0 0 0 – 0 (3)
Goals – None. Shootout goals – MV: Belfrage, Woodruff, Starr; SH: Burns, Hammett, Garcia; A. Rosales.
Shots on goal – Smoky Hill 11, Mountain Vista 15. Saves – Smoky Hill (M. Rosales) 12; Mountain Vista (Foley) 7. Corner kicks – Smoky Hill 6; Mountain Vista 4. Fouls – Smoky Hill 5; Mountain Vista 8.
