The Montezuma-Cortez Lady Panthers got a 2-0 win in their season-opener against the Crested Butte Titans on Friday at Johnson Field.
M-CHS head coach Nate Ross said that in their first game of the season, many of his players came out anxious, but a goal by senior Gabby Wolf calmed their nerves.
“First half was a lot of butterflies, a lot of jitters, a lot of missed touches and a lot of nervous energy to begin with,” he said. “But we got a goal about 15 minutes in and that really settled us down.”
Junior Britaney Hampton assisted on the goal by sending in a corner kick, and after a scramble, Wolf punched it into the back of the net.
“Gabby had the composure and the confidence to settle the ball, even at the top of the six-yard box,” Ross explained. “She had three or four girls on her and she was able to turn and get a deflection shot into the goal. She worked hard for that one.”
After leading 1-0 at half, Hampton had a shot to increase the lead early in the second. Following a Crested Butte handball in the box, Hampton’s free kick was dead-on for the middle of the goal, but it sailed just high over the post.
Crested Butte had a similar shot attempt to follow, with a 35-foot attempt that looked like trouble as it sailed over Panthers’ keeper Stevee Brenner, but it too carried over the post.
Playing with a single defender deep – with Cassidy Leonard as the sweeper and Skylar King and Maddy Mahaffey on the wings – the Lady Panthers kept the Titans offense in check. And if the visitors were able to dump a ball behind the defense, Brenner was there to clean up.
The Lady Panthers physical defense held Crested Butte scoreless for the entire contest, and as the Titans’ frustration grew in the second half, things got chippy.
There were three yellow cards issued in the second half alone, with two going to the Titans and Leonard picking up one after getting into a pushing match with Elina Smith for a ball on the sideline.
Ross was impressed with his team’s defense, and its physicality.
“Soccer is a physical game,” he said. “You have to be the aggressor to win fifty-fifty balls and win opportunities to advance the ball forward. Especially in our offense, high pressure is something I coach a lot.”
Sophomore Josie Sitton swiped a ball late in the second half and nearly went coast-to-coast for a score, but Crested Butte knocked the ball away just before she could get a shot off.
Then, after another handball penalty in the box for Crested Butte, Wolf sent a free kick past the Crested Butte keeper on the ground into the left corner of the net for the game’s final scoring, as the Lady Panthers took their season-opener, 2-0.
The Panthers were back in action on Monday in a home contest against Telluride, but the final score was unavailable at deadline.