Littleton – Dustin Beane’s goal was so good it put his hair on end.
Actually, it probably was some sort of gel-hair spray combo that made the Arapahoe junior soccer player’s Mohawk stand up, but his go-ahead goal with 23 seconds remaining in the first half of a quarterfinal-round game in the Class 5A state playoffs was pretty enough that even the opposing coach offered praise.
“The goal before halftime was a brilliant goal, but we gave him a bit too much space in front of the box,” Heritage coach Tony Hurt.
OK, so maybe it was tempered praise.
Beane put Arapahoe up and Joe Madigan secured the 2-0 victory over Heritage (11-5-2) on Tuesday night at Littleton Public Schools Stadium with a second-half goal as the Warriors beat the team that beat them by the same score in the regular season. Arapahoe will face 2004 state champion Smoky Hill in a semifinal Saturday.
The top-seeded Warriors (16-1) had a couple of good opportunities in the first half, including two shots by Brian Guymon, the second of which was a hard-rolling grounder that made its way through a crowd. Heritage goalkeeper Tyler Zitek made a great save despite his view being blocked by bodies in front of the goal.
But it was Beane’s shot that made it to the back of the net.
After Beane’s initial shot was deflected in the box by a Heritage defender, it bounced around and eventually made it back to his feet. Standing more than 25 yards out, Beane blasted a beautiful, rising shot that snuck under the crossbar in the top right corner. Not even Elastic Man, let alone Heritage goalkeeper Tyler Zitek, could have stopped it.
“I took a shot with my right (foot) and it just deflected right back to me,” Beane said, “so I one-timed it with my left. It went in. I was definitely happy with it.”
Heritage 0 0 – 0
Arapahoe 1 1 – 2
Goals – Dustin Beane (unassisted), 40th minute; Madigan (unassisted), 77th. Shots on goal – Heritage 1-0 – 1; Arapahoe 5-2 – 7. Saves – Heritage (Zitek) 3-0 – 3 Arapahoe (Sidder) 1-0 – 1. Corner kicks – Heritage 1-0 – 1; Arapahoe 0-1 – 1. Offsides – Heritage 0-1 – 1; Arapahoe 0-0 – 0. Fouls – Heritage 9-8 – 17; Arapahoe 6-10 – 16. Yellow card – Barnes, H, 51st minute.
