HIGHLANDS RANCH — While Highlands Ranch junior Lauren Heap might be young, but she is convinced she’ll never kick the ball again as she did Tuesday night.
With the ball lined up 30 yards out and to the right of ThunderRidge’s goal, the Falcons’ co-captain decided to have a go.
“I was like, ‘I’ll try and aim for the far left corner, and if not, maybe someone will get a head on it,’ ” she said.
No other body parts were needed as Heap’s free kick settled in the far corner to give the Falcons a dramatic 1-0 Class 5A Continental League overtime victory.
The ball moved like Sputnik across the chilly night sky at Shea Stadium before drifting over the fingertips of Grizzlies goalkeeper Kelli Green.
“I was pretty shocked,” Heap said.
Rightly so. It was a unexpected end to a defensive rivalry game with few scoring chances. The Falcons (3-1, 2-1 in league) finally held the run of play in the final 15 minutes of the second half but could not break ThunderRidge’s defense, anchored by senior Christina Roach. Rachel Hicks, Abby Jansen and Lindsay Mallon came close, while Ashley Hansley watched her shot squirt through the hands of goalkeeper Sarah Brevig, only for the netminder to lunge and stop it right on the goal line.
“We have yet to score in the first half, and that’s something we need to work on,” Falcons coach Randy Hodous. “The girls figured out how to find their spaces and where we could exploit them.”
Said Heap: “We were really attacking, and I could feel that we were going to get a goal.”
Turned out the Falcons just needed a better shot.
“That was perfectly placed,” Grizzlies coach Jerry Rouse said of the game-winner. “What do you do with a ball that kind of floats to the back 90 like that?”
ThunderRidge (5-1, 2-1) had its moments up top with Leigha Leonard and Kylie Ladenburger, but the Falcons were too physical.
ThunderRidge 0 0 0 — 0
Highlands Ranch 0 0 1 — 1
Goal — La. Heap (free kick), 82nd minute.
Shots on goal — ThunderRidge 2-2-0 — 4; Highlands Ranch 1-4-1 — 6. Saves — ThunderRidge (Green, 42 minutes; Brevig 40) 1-4-0 — 5; Highlands Ranch (Yates) 2-2-0 — 4. Offsides — ThunderRidge 1-0-0 — 1; Highlands Ranch 1-1-0 — 2. Corner kicks — ThunderRidge 1-0-0 — 1; Highlands Ranch 0-2-0 — 2. Fouls — ThunderRidge 2-1-1 — 4; Highlands Ranch 6-3-0 — 9. Yellow cards — None.
