No. 8 Rocky Mountain 4, No. 1 Cherry Creek 3 (4-2 PK) ( | )
After taking a 3-0 lead in the first half, Cherry Creek’s dreams of winning a Class 5A state championship were dashed by a furious comeback by Rocky Mountain, which used a 4-2 advantage in the decisive penalty-kick round to defeat the host Bruins in a quarterfinal match at the Stutler Bowl.
— Pat Rooney, Special to The Denver Post
No. 5 Arapahoe 2, No. 4 Air Academy 1 (OT) ()
With a deft touch of her left foot, Shannon Koundourakis sent Arapahoe into the semifinals of the 5A state girls’ soccer playoffs and eliminated Air Academy.
Koundourakis’ loft in the 91st minute gave the No. 5 seed Warriors a 2-1 overtime victory over the No. 4 Kadets on Tuesday at Air Academy.
“I knew there wasn’t a lot of time left in the game,” Koundourakis said. “I took the ball inside, I figured why not take it.”
— Scott Kaniewski,
No. 2 Fairview 7, No. 7 Smoky Hill 0 ( | )
Smoky Hill hadn’t surrendered a goal in five consecutive games and entered Tuesday’s Class 5A girls soccer quarterfinals on a 10-1 tear. But less than three minutes into the contest, that streak was history.
Soon, it seemed like a distant memory as No. 2 seed Fairview launched an all-out assault en route to a 7-0 rout of the seventh-seeded Buffaloes.
— Paul Willis, Special to The Denver Post
No. 6 Mountain Vista 2, No. 3 Pine Creek 1 (2OT) ()
Once again, overtime got the best of Pine Creek in the Class 5A girls’ state tournament.
Tailor Smith headed home the game-winner off a Jenna Owens direct kick with 11:03 left in the second overtime, lifting Mountain Vista past Pine Creek 2-1 Tuesday in a state quarterfinal at District 20 Stadium.
“I was waiting for a push in the back,” Smith said. “They weren’t giving us a lot of room, but after the direct kick, I had a little extra space. That was one of my biggest goals.”
— Kevin Carmody,
