Less than a week ago, Bri Pugh of Mountain Vista was scoring a goal against a defense led by her good friend and future college soccer teammate, Reilley Moore of Air Academy.
Even though Pugh’s Golden Eagles handed Moore’s Kadets a 4-1 loss, the game was an enjoyable occasion for the longtime friends.
Teammates on the Real Colorado club team who will continue their careers together with the University of Oregon Ducks, Pugh and Moore engaged in good-natured, on-field ribbing. It was the type of banter they shared before their days as club teammates while reveling in a showdown between programs expected to be contenders for the state title in their respective classifications.
This week, however, Pugh might be rehearsing some of the encouraging words she received from her teammates last season in order to console Moore.
On Tuesday, as Air Academy battled fellow Class 4A power Valor Christian, Moore went down with an apparent knee injury that has put her senior season in jeopardy. Pugh, who missed much of her junior season because of stomach surgery after transferring from Valor Christian, has not forgotten the support she received during that rough spell from her Mountain Vista teammates.
“I remember how supportive they were of me during that hard time I was going through,” Pugh said. “It was unlike anything else that ever happened to me. My club team has always supported me, but it was my high school team that was like, ‘Bri, you’ll get through this.’ This season, I really want to play for them and get that state championship for them.
“I hope that (Moore) doesn’t have to sit out. I know she really likes her high school team as much as I do.”
The friendship between Pugh and Moore began about eight years ago when Moore played for the Colorado Springs-based Pride Soccer Club.
The young defender often engaged Pugh in conversation, and when Moore joined Pugh at Real Colorado, the foundation of their friendship already was set.
“We just really hit it off,” Pugh said. “We were never talking smack out there. It was always more like a conversation. We became best friends and we still pretty much are.”
Instead of helping to plot their upcoming move to Oregon, Pugh’s role in their friendship this spring might be more motivational.
After sitting out the early portion of last season because of transfer rules, Pugh played only a few games for the Golden Eagles before undergoing surgery to correct ovarian cysts.
If Moore’s injury proves as serious as it appeared Tuesday, Pugh will be one of the first to offer Moore a shoulder to lean on.
“(Moore) is über-special,” Air Academy coach Nancy Sibley said. “She’s been an impact on this program since she walked through the door. Not only is she a fantastic soccer player, she is an amazing human being. She is a fun kid. She’s competitive. She’s intense, but she also keeps the team together.”
