COLORADO SPRINGS – Continual movement created the opportunity for Kobi Thai to find the ball in the right spot.
The senior midfielder’s right-footed shot tucked neatly inside the back post for the go-ahead goal in the 55th minute. Goal keeper Max Baker turned in a clean sheet as Kent Denver knocked off Steamboat Springs 1-0 in the Class 3A boys soccer state title match at Weidner Field on Saturday.
Sun Devils’ coach Jeb Brovsky knew his team could convert on chances if they were active.
“We get numbers into opportunistic places and the ball knocks down into good spots,” Brovsky said. “Kobi was right there to pounce on it. He focused on the middle of the ball and did his job. Those movements when guys are zoned in and looking at the ball; when they are moving while looking and getting into higher spots those are dangerous.”
At first, Thai thought the ball would bounce through the Sailors’ backline and be scooped up by their keeper or cleared away. But it was tipped – he couldn’t tell by whom – and set up perfectly for his goal that brought Kent Denver its sixth boys soccer state title and first since 2019.
Because Thai doesn’t get to send many shots on frame, he said maybe just “two or three per match,” he wanted to make the most of this one.”
“All year we’ve been told to be optimistic,” Thai said. “I didn’t expect that ball to come out. But when it did I was ready for it. It’s a choice not an action and I chose to be in the spot and take the shot. I figured I would hit this one and not think about it and luckily it went in. The rest is history.”
In addition to Thai’s opportunistic goal, Baker turned away a steady, second-half surge from the Sailors. His jump save in the 70th minute of a Daniele Gui blast from 25-yards out was punched over the top of the cage.
On the ensuing corner kick his punch save led to another corner that was easily cleared. Both saves preserved the shutout and were only part of the effort according to the junior keeper.
“It’s nerve racking trying to hold onto a 1-0 lead,” Baker said. “But I have 110% trust in myself and my backline. Goal keeping is 90% mental and 10% physical. I’ve got to be loud and communicate because I get to see the entire picture. It’s up to me to put my teammates in the right place.”
After Kent Devener lost its first two matches of the season, Baker wasn’t even sure the Sun Devils would make the playoffs, let alone hoist a championship trophy to bring back to Denver in mid-November.
“The name of the game is whatever it takes,” Brovsky said. “And whatever it takes was the mentality of these guys all year. It started off really slow, but they made a new commitment mid season and I couldn’t be more proud of these young men. We’ve worked all season with vulnerability, courage and honesty. It just paid off for them today.”
