COLORADO SPRINGS — Vail Mountain High School doesn’t mind delayed gratification.
The No. 1 seeded Gore Rangers’ patience earned them their first Class 2A boys soccer championship after a pair of late goals gave Vail Mountain a 2-1 victory against No. 6 seed Lotus School for Excellence on Nov. 12 at Weidner Field.
The Gore Rangers had ample opportunity in the first half to score, but nerves got the best of them in the first 40 minutes.
“At the beginning of the game we all were super nervous and that’s why we played so sloppy,” Vail Mountain’s Javi Braun said. “I know we never lost confidence the whole game and I was hyped for the second half to start after how we played in the first.”
The Meteros struck midway through the first half after a kick ricocheted off a host of players before the ball found Abeneazer Getachew’s feet.
Getachew fired a shot toward the left corner of the net and put Lotus ahead 1-0 in the opening 8 minutes of the contest.
For majority of the first half, the Gore Rangers dominated the ball.
However, shots from corner kicks, drives toward the goal and scrums near the net either sailed out of bounds or into the keepers gloves.
Midway through the second half, Vail Mountain continued to struggle to find the net as more shots flew past the goal or into the stands.
But Braun stopped the proverbial bleeding after seeing a “good through ball” from his teammate.
“I knew I had to stay on the back post incase someone missed the ball,” Braun said. “That was exactly what happened. Someone missed, I was there and I was able to put it in.”
Braun’s strike with 18:49 on the clock knotted the match at 1-1 and shifted the mojo in Vail Mountain’s favor.
Suddenly, the shots the Gore Rangers missed earlier in the contest began to yield goals.
Three minutes after Braun’s goal, Rutley Heinemann broke free of the Meteors’ defense and gave his squad a 2-1 lead and the final goal of the game.
“There was a corner kick and the ball was played to me,” Heinemann said. “I was looking for the counter attack, (Andrew) Johnson and I played a 1-2, and he played an amazing through ball to me. I looked up and saw green grass. I looked at where the keeper was and placed it where he couldn’t reach it.”
This marks the second consecutive year Lotus has lost in the title game to the No. 1 seed. In 2021, the Meteors lost to Crested Butte 2-0.
For the Gore Rangers, they’re grateful for the first boys soccer title in school history.
“This is amazing and I’m so grateful we got to be part of history,” Heinemann said.
