ENGLEWOOD — Two of the hungriest programs in Class 5A got together Tuesday and prepared a feast fit for a championship crowd.
Only the Grandview Wolves, however, left satisfied.
The top-seeded Wolves got goals from Regina Thomas and Brittany Dunn to climb out of an early hole before senior Amanda Collins got the last word in a tense and edgy affair at Pirate Field. The senior midfielder capped a fine individual move to punch the ball into the left corner with three minutes remaining to seal a dramatic 3-2 victory.
“I felt amazing,” Collins said. “I felt on top of the world.”
Ditto for the Wolves (18-1-1), the preseason No. 1 and perennial title contender under the guidance of coach Bruce Brown. The win, which kept the Wolves unbeaten against in-state competition, was Grandview’s first soccer title.
The Eagles (16-1-3) got off to a glorious start when Katy Oehring scored in the 11th minute and Taylor Nicholls headed home Abby Loar’s cross in the 14th.
Heritage 2 0 — 2
Grandview 2 1 — 3
Goals —H: Oehring (unassisted), 11th minute; Nicholls (Loar), 14th; G: Thomas (unassisted), 15th; Dunn (Cingoranelli), 24th; Collins (unassisted), 77th. Shots on goal — Heritage 3-3 — 6; Grandview 2-3 — 5. Saves — Heritage (Spicer) 0-2 — 2; Grandview (Hansen) 1-3 — 4. Offsides — Heritage 0-1 — 1; Grandview 1-0 — 1. Corner kicks — Heritage 6-0 — 6; Grandview 3-1 — 4. Fouls — Heritage 3-6 — 9; Grandview 4-7 — 11. Yellow cards — None.
