After battling through a scoreless first half, Rampart’s Natalie Mayo finally got her team on the board and it was all the Rams needed in a 1-0 win over Boulder in the first round of the Class 5A girls soccer state tournament.
A few early saves from Rampart keeper Aubrey Schraml allowed her teammates up front to strike at an opportune moment. One presented itself in the second half and Mayo drilled a shot by Boulder keeper Maisie Creamer to take a late lead.
The goal held up as the No. 7 Rams move on to the second round to face Heritage.
(8) Pine Creek 3, (25) Fort Collins 2
Pine Creek held a 1-0 lead at halftime before the Lambkins found an equalizer early in the second half. Brenna Hallam responded quickly with another goal for the Eagles, allowing them to retake the lead, then Ella Stoneman scored her second of the night to add some padding. Stoneman’s second goal turned out to be the game winner as Fort Collins added another one late.
Pine Creek will host Broomfield in Round 2 as the Boulder-area Eagles beat Legend 1-0 in their first-round game.
(29) Arvada West 1, (4) Cherry Creek 1 – Wildcats win 2-1 in PKs
In the most stunning upset of the night, Arvada West advanced to the second round after knocking off No. 4 Cherry Creek. Each team notched a goal in the first half and held each other scoreless in the second half and the two overtime periods.
The Wildcats then edged the Bruins 2-1 in penalty kicks to finalize the biggest first-round upset of the night.
(21) Highlands Ranch 2, (12) Denver East 0
The other major upset of the night saw Highlands Ranch powering its way past Denver East with a 2-0 win.
This is the first state tournament appearance for the Falcons since 2012 and in that postseason, they had the No. 21 seed and upset No. 12 Rangeview 1-0.
This is the 11th consecutive season that the Angels have been beaten in the first round of the state tournament.
(18) Chaparral 0, (15) Arapahoe 0 – Wolverines win 4-3 in PKs
Like Arvada West, Chaparral survived regulation and overtime before beating its opponents in penalty kicks. The Wolverines will head north to face No. 2 Fossil Ridge in the second round of the tournament.
To see the full results and updated bracket, click here.
