Aurora – Tyler Waggoner fired a rocket and rode a bicycle within a three-minute span Tuesday night.
Both resulted in goals. And that was all Smoky Hill needed.
The Buffaloes, seeded fifth in the Class 5A championship bracket, took an impressive step toward their third straight finals appearance with a 2-0 victory over No. 4 Grandview at cold and calm Legacy Stadium.
Waggoner blasted a shot in from 25 yards nine minutes before halftime and assisted on Matt Hammett’s goal moments later with a nifty bicycle-style pass as the Buffaloes (14-2-2) booked a spot in the semifinals.
All-Colorado goalie Miguel Rosales notched a shutout with four saves, his best coming in the 71st minute on a shot by Cameron Gorsevski that nearly tucked in the upper left corner.
“Every time we play Grandview it’s always a good rivalry,” said Rosales, who was suspended for the teams’ 1-1 draw in the regular season. “It was a good win for us. We played as a team and got the result we wanted.”
The Wolves (12-4-1) had enough scoring chances to stay in the game but either couldn’t convert some great opportunities or were foiled by Rosales.
The Buffaloes struggled to create chances outside the Grandview goal but managed to grab the lead in the 31st minute.
The ball came in from the left side, just beyond the reach of Grandview’s Nick Rodriguez. Before Rodriguez could make a play, Waggoner charged in and cranked a low shot from 25 yards out that beat goalie Brian Sherpe to the near side.
Smoky Hill 2 0 – 2
Grandview 0 0 – 0
Goals – Waggoner (unassisted), 31st minute; Hammett (Waggoner), 34th.
Shots on goal – Smoky Hill 4-2 – 6; Grandview 1-3 – 4. Saves – Smoky Hill (M. Rosales) 1-3 – 4; Grandview (Sherpe) 2-2 – 4.
Offsides – Smoky Hill 1-0 – 1; Grandview 0-0 – 0. Corner kicks – Smoky Hill 0-2 – 2; Grandview 1-4 – 5.
Fouls – Smoky Hill 6-5 – 11; Grandview 10-6 – 16. Yellow cards – A. Rosales, SH, 23rd minute; Loken, G, 33rd.
