GREENWOOD VILLAGE — One team left the pitch Tuesday night feeling pretty good, the other feeling as though it let one get away.
Class 5A’s top-ranked Grandview Wolves played with a man-advantage for the entire second half, yet never capitalized against Cherry Creek in a pivotal Centennial League match. Grandview settled for a 0-0 tie at the Stutler Bowl on Tuesday night.
“I thought we had the clear shot chances, but you know, at the higher levels, when a team goes a man down, it’s really not that big of a deal,” Wolves coach Bruce Brown said. “I like the way (Creek) adjusted to it, and I really thought we might take more advantage of it than we did.”
Cherry Creek’s Tracy Roos was sent off after getting tangled up with Grandview’s Regina Thomas after a hard foul at midfield. It was a tough blow for both teams; Thomas never returned to the game because of an apparent shoulder injury.
“We asked them to step up in the second half, and they did,” said Creek coach Dave Paynter, whose team is 9-1-2, 3-0-1 in league. “We couldn’t control it as much as we normally would, but I think we still had some good chances in that second half.”
Grandview (9-0-1, 4-0-1), ranked fifth nationally in the NSCAA/Adidas poll, had the best scoring opportunity of the game in the 20th minute. Thomas’ shot rang off the far post, and Amanda Collins’ rebound rolled just wide.
“We figured this was going to be one of our toughest games, and I really don’t think we had our best game,” said Collins, bound for the University of New Mexico. “We didn’t finish the chances we had, and to win, we have to do that.”
It gets tougher for the Wolves, who leave today for Burlington, Iowa, (via train, no less) for the Brine Tournament of Champions.
Grandview 0 0 0 0 — 0
Cherry Creek 0 0 0 0 — 0
Goals — None.
Shots on goal — Grandview 5-0-0-0 — 5; Cherry Creek 0-0-0-1 — 1. Saves — Grandview (Hansen) 0-0-0-1 — 1; Cherry Creek (Haddock, 40 mins.) 5-0-0-0 — 5, (Poletto, 50 mins.) 0-0-0-0 — 0. Corner kicks — Grandview 3-1-0-1 — 5; Cherry Creek 3-2-0-0 — 5. Offsides — Grandview 0-1-0-0 — 1; Cherry Creek 1-2-0-0 — 3. Fouls — Grandview 5-3-2-0 — 10; Cherry Creek 6-5-1-0 — 12. Yellow cards — Heaton, CC, 59th minute; Miller, CC, 81st; Coach Brown, G, 85th. Red card — Roos, CC, 32nd.
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Jon E. Yunt: 303-954-1354 or jyunt@denverpost.com
