CENTENNIAL — Arapahoe was an open paper cut Saturday. And Fort Collins was feeling pretty salty.
The No. 4-ranked Warriors, in the midst of an unheard-of two-game losing streak, were scored upon in the first minute by the young Lambkins and were forced to fight back for a 1-1, double-overtime, Class 5A nonleague draw.
The reactions by both teams after 90 minutes of quality soccer filled in around the score. The Warriors (10-2-1) huddled for nearly 20 minutes, while the Lambkins (4-3-3) found the smiles easy before they hopped on the bus.
“I could tell during warm-ups that it was going to be a good game,” Lambkins senior Alissa Bleem said.
She buried a shot inside the far post in the first minute, taking advantage of some traffic in front of Warriors goalkeeper Amanda Engel to beat her to her right. The Warriors responded with a bevy of chances, outshooting the visitors 11-2 for the game and equalizing in the 47th minute on a bending shot by Laura Feehs.
Since defeating then-No. 3 Air Academy to avenge a loss in the 2009 state semifinals, the Warriors have lost two consecutive games to fall from the No. 1 ranking. They hadn’t lost twice during the regular season since 2007, and longtime coach Kirk Bast could not remember the last time his team endured a three-game winless streak.
And that’s what made Bleem’s goal feel like a chilly microburst. The Warriors started all of their seniors to honor them and were punished less than 60 seconds later.
“They don’t lose a lot of games, and they don’t play from behind,” Lambkins coach Justin Stephens said of the Warriors.
Said Bast, “I would have expected us to work through that.”
Attackers Bleem, Brianna Valdez and Melissa Tran were always dangerous up top for the Lambkins, never hesitating to take on the Warriors’ rear guard. Their only other shot on goal, however, came from Valdez in the 28th minute.
The Warriors had great possession and sharp passing in the midfield, but had some unlucky finishes. And intermittent aggression was their ultimate undoing.
Fort Collins 1 0 0 0 — 1
Arapahoe 0 1 0 0 — 1
Goals — FC: Bleem (unassisted), 1st minute; A: Feehs (unassisted), 47th.
Shots on goal — Fort Collins 2-0-0-0 — 2, Arapahoe 4-4-3-0 — 11. Saves — Fort Collins (Shaad) 4-3-3-0 — 11, Arapahoe (Engel) 1-0-0-0 — 1. Offside — Fort Collins 1-0-0-0 — 1, Arapahoe 4-1-1-0 — 6. Corner kicks — Fort Collins 0-1-0-0 — 1, Arapahoe 1-5-1-0 — 7. Fouls — Fort Collins 5-6-0-1 — 12, Arapahoe 3-9-0-2 — 14. Yellow cards — None.
