Englewood – The theme of the day for Fort Collins’ boys soccer team: Right place at the right time.
Fort Collins sophomore Will Pomeroy camped on the far post of the Ponderosa goal for Steven Emory’s corner kick in overtime and deflected it past Mustangs goalie Kyle Quinetro on Saturday to advance the defending champions back into the title game with a 1-0 victory at Englewood Stadium.
“Someone’s got to put it in. It kind of bobbled between a few players, but I was there to put it in,” said Pomeroy, who bagged his first goal of the season. “That’s how it goes, it’s just a right place at the right time kind of thing.”
Fort Collins (12-6-1) will face Smoky Hill (the 2004 champion) in a rematch of the 2005 championship game at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Both teams had their chances in regulation, but possibly none better than Ponderosa’s in the 76th minute.
After a collision left Lambkins goalie Chris Couperus in a heap well outside his goal, Ponderosa scrambled for control and it was Matt Schroeder that got the shot. Fort Collins defender Kevin Butcher backed up his keeper and got back to clear the ball off the line.
“I saw Chris down, and recovered,” said Butcher, who played his best game of the year, according to coach Jason Odorizzi. “I was in the right place at the right time, and lucky that it didn’t get around me.”
Butcher and his defensive mates held the line against Ponderosa’s speedy forwards, notably Andrew Love. Ponderosa outshot Fort Collins 7-4, but the genuine scoring opportunity was Schroeder’s.
The Lambkins defense also was instrumental in getting the offensive counterattacks going, allowing Fort Collins to keep the Mustangs’ defense on their heels.
“They had good transition, but I think we had control in terms of passing the ball around,” Ponderosa coach Jim Engel said. “It was bound to happen, both teams were getting tired, and it was just a matter of time.”
Ponderosa finished 14-3-2.
Fort Collins 0 0 1 – 1
Ponderosa 0 0 0 – 0
Goal – Pomeroy (Emory), 91st minute.
Shots on goal – Fort Collins 1-2-1 – 4; Ponderosa 3-3-1 – 7. Saves – Fort Collins (Couperus) 3-2-1 – 6; Ponderosa (Quintero) 1-2-0 – 3. Corner kicks – Fort Collins 4-4-1 – 9; Ponderosa 1-0-0 – 1. Offsides – Fort Collins 2-3-0 – 5; Ponderosa 1-1-0 – 2. Fouls – Fort Collins 6-7-1 – 14; Ponderosa 6-6-0 – 12. Yellow cards – Kepler, FC, 66th minute; Skipworth, FC, 83rd.
SMOKY HILL 1, ARAPAHOE 0
Smoky Hill goalie Miguel Rosales is a pretty good insurance policy behind what, on Saturday, was a stout defense for the Buffaloes.
With a 1-0 lead and a high octane Arapahoe offense swarming for an equalizer, the Buffs were in “bend but don’t break” mode for the final 30 minutes.
They never broke.
Smoky Hill (15-2-2), behind Matt Hammett’s 25th-minute header for a goal, held on for a 1-0 victory against the top-seeded Warriors.
“We wanted to try and stay as organized as possible and communicate, especially knowing Arapahoe is a team that transitions extremely well,” Smoky Hill coach Danny Winsor said. “For us, just keeping everything in front of us was really key.”
Arapahoe pushed several midfielders forward, but the quality chances just never seemed to come. “They probably played the best they have all year in the backfield,” Arapahoe coach Mark Hampshire said, “but unfortunately we found out what we could have done against them too late.”
Said Smoky Hill sweeper Tyler Wilson: “We know Miguel is behind us 100 percent of the way, and that is why we have so much confidence back there. It’s a comfort thing.”
Rosales played a key role in the lone goal of the game as well. A lengthy free kick was sent into the Arapahoe box and bounced around off a couple of heads before Hammett pounded it home.
The best scoring chance for Arapahoe (17-2) came at the end of the first half. A shot by Joe Madigan was not controlled, but before the Warriors could get another shot off the clock hit zero.
Smoky Hill 1 0 – 1
Arapahoe 0 0 – 0
Goal – Hammett (Garcia), 25th minute.
Shots on goal – Smoky Hill 3-4 – 7; Arapahoe 3-1 – 4. Saves – Smoky Hill (M. Rosales) 3-1 – 4; Arapahoe (Sidder) 2-4 – 6. Corner kicks – Smoky Hill 1-2 – 3; Arapahoe 0-1 – 1. Offsides – Smoky Hill 3-0 – 3; Arapahoe 0-0 – 0. Fouls – Smoky Hill 1-7 – 8; Arapahoe 6-6 – 12. Yellow card – Cole, A, 49th minute.
Jon E. Yunt can be reached at 303-954-1354 or jyunt@denverpost.com.
