AURORA — The Grandview girls soccer team had been itching for a little payback against Rocky Mountain for the better part of a year.
Now Grandview can only hope it gets another shot at the Lobos in the state playoffs.
Rocky Mountain turned in a solid season opener Tuesday against a Grandview club it eliminated in the second round of last year’s Class 5A state tournament, erupting for three goals in the second half to post a 3-0 victory at Legacy Stadium.
“The first game of the season. It’s hard to know what you’ve got,” said Rocky Mountain coach Ron Clark, whose club reached the 5A semifinals last year. “It was fun to see the first goals and the first assists from the new kids. I was pleased with our ball control, because that is the thing we’re after. We knew in the first half we had better ball control, but we were having trouble putting some in. But we kept the ball control and got some things going.”
The 10th-ranked Lobos opted to go against the howling wind during the first half, allowing Grandview (1-2) to enjoy several early scoring chances. But Lobos goaltender Michelle Kennedy withstood the assault, and Rocky Mountain’s offense got on track in the second half.
Sophomore Kaitlyn Eden opened the scoring 12 minutes after the break, taking advantage of quick, one-touch passes from Heather Dyer and Kassidie Joseph to convert her first goal of the year.
With Grandview’s offense stymied by the wind and the adjustments of the Lobos defense, Rocky Mountain broke the game open with goals about three minutes apart by Megan Avery and Lindsey Guice, who scored both goals in the Lobos’ state tournament win over the Wolves last year.
“I thought we were moving around and passing and playing together as a team really well,” Eden said. “I thought we had an advantage with the wind, and after halftime, we were pumped and ready to win.”
Rocky Mountain 0 3 — 3
Grandview 0 0 — 0
Goals — Eden (Joseph), 52nd minute; Avery (Stouffer), 69th; Guice (Avery), 72nd minute.
Shots on goal — Rocky Mtn. 4-5 — 9; Grandview 5-1 — 6. Saves — Rocky Mtn. (Kennedy 6); Grandview (Molnar 6). Corner kicks — Rocky Mtn. 1-1 — 2; Grandview 3-2 — 5. Fouls — Rocky Mtn. 4-3 — 7; Grandview 3-1 — 4.
