Alex Gunberg was cruising like a shark Thursday against James Irwin Charter School.
The Colorado Academy senior forward was biding his time, looking for openings, studying the Jaguars’ defense and preparing his attack.
“I realized in the first 10 minutes that their defense liked to hold on to the ball and make sure their passes were perfect,” Gunberg said. “So I figured, ‘Why not put more pressure on them, see what happens?’ ”
Gunberg pounced in the 31st minute with a steal, a snaking run and a blast inside the near post to put the Mustangs on their way to a 3-0 Class 3A boys soccer state quarterfinal win at Firman Field.
The No. 3 Mustangs (15-3-0) got a goal from sophomore Mac Freeman two minutes later, and Demitri Carahalios bagged the third on an assist by Gunberg in the 76th minute to set up a semifinal showdown Saturday against rival Denver Christian. The Mustangs lost 2-0 to the Crusaders in the regular season.
Making their first appearance in the state quarterfinals, the No. 6 Jaguars (13-3-1), who hail from the south side of Colorado Springs, were plenty skilled but were often disrupted by the Mustangs’ pressure. Leading scorer Juan Alvarez was bottled up by the suffocating defense of junior Peter Macartney.
“It was kind of hard, because I’ve never had a game where one player followed me everywhere I went,” Alvarez said.
Mustangs goalkeeper Bobby Thalman made three saves as Colorado Academy earned its ninth shutout of the season.
“We shut down their main man and made the other (players) step up,” Thalman said. “We were lucky that we put in two goals before they figured out what happened.”
Gunberg’s opening goal was scored with determination and skill. He picked Erik Mock’s pocket, circled around the top of the penalty area, beat Justin Juarado and lashed a shot past goalkeeper Matthew Gomez.
Two minutes later, it was Freeman charging past a fallen defender and free down the right channel.
The Jaguars’ midfield helped lift the pressure off its defense in the second half, but the teams fought to a stalemate. The Mustangs salted it away when Gunberg passed to Carahalios, who ripped a shot back to the far post.
James Irwin 0 0 — 0
Colorado Academy 2 1 — 3
Goals — Gunberg (unassisted), 31st minute; Freeman (unassisted), 33rd; Carahalios (Gunberg), 76th.
Shots on goal — James Irwin 1-2 — 3; Colorado Academy 5-3 — 8. Saves — James Irwin (Gomez) 3-2 — 5; Colorado Academy (Thalman) 1-2 — 3. Offside — James Irwin 0-0 — 0; Colorado Academy 0-2 — 2. Corner kicks — James Irwin 1-1 — 2; Colorado Academy 4-3 — 7. Fouls — James Irwin 9-5 — 14; Colorado Academy 6-6 — 12. Yellow cards — Vakilitibar, CA, 39th minute; Jarrell, JI, 54th; Alexander, CA, 62nd; Groves, JI, 65th.
