LITTLETON — The Overland boys soccer team has improved tremendously over the past year, which means the Centennial League, one of the toughest in the state, has grown even stronger.
The upstart Trailblazers gave Class 5A No. 5 Arapahoe all it could handle before the Warriors finally secured a 1-0 win on a controversial penalty kick in overtime.
“For us to hang with them and play as well as we did, I’m really proud of the guys,” Overland coach Mazen Kayali said. “Our guys are finally maturing.”
Saturday’s contest proved to be a clash of styles. Arapahoe skillfully dominated possession while the Trailblazers used fast-break assaults to consistently pressure Warriors goalie Ethan Horvath.
Horvath was summoned from his crease to finally end the stalemate with 7:13 remaining in overtime. A hand ball against the Trailblazers set up the winning tally.
“We probably have four guys in a clutch situation like that that we could have put on the dot,” Arapahoe coach Mark Hampshire said. “I trust these guys a ton, and when his teammates said they wanted Ethan, what do you do? They’re the ones that work together and trust each other.”
Overland 0 0 0 — 0
Arapahoe 0 0 1 — 1
Scoring — A, Horvath (pk), 88th minute. Shots on goal — O, 0-1-0—1; A, 1-3-1—5. Saves — O (Groenloh 4); A (Horvath 1). Corner kicks — O, 0-1-0—1; A, 2-2-1—5. Fouls — O, 3-7-3—13; A, 3-1-3—7. Yellow cards — O, Hernandez; A, DeVoss.
