Ralston Valley wins wild ending on the soccer pitch at NAAC

ARVADA — Four goals in the final 10 minutes was unexpected Monday night at the North Area Athletic Complex.

“That was insane,” Ralston Valley coach Kamee Morwood said of the final 10 minutes of the Class 5A Jeffco League game between Arvada-area rivals Ralston Valley and Arvada West. “That’s soccer. You can never stop. You can never anticipate the ending to any game.”

Ralston Valley (8-0-3, 3-0-1 in league) held a 2-0 lead with 10 minutes to play, but A-West (7-5, 1-3) answered with back-to-back goals from junior Mallory Tyson and freshman Blakely Erickson in the 70th and 73rd minutes to tie things up 2-2.

However, the Mustangs quickly pulled things back together. Sophomore Rhegan Messingham rocket of a shot hit the bottom of the cross bar and across the goal-line in the 75th minute to give Ralston Valley back the lead 3-2.

Two minutes later, sophomore Santana Sabus sealed the 4-2 victory for Ralston Valley with her 19th goal of the season.

“Emotions always run high in the game because it’s exciting to play our rivals,” Sabus said. “We stay calm. We stay collective. That is why we were able to go score those last two goals.”

Ralston Valley trailed for the first time in league play last week on the road against Valor Christian (5-2-2, 2-1-1) last week. The Mustangs were able to battle back to force a 1-1 tie.

“I just love how are team this year has responded,” Coach Morwood said. “We haven’t been down much, but when adversity has hit I feel like our entire team has responded. Our competitiveness has come out. They just want to win.”

The victory sets up essentially the conference championship game Thursday, April 24, at Lakewood Memorial Field. Ralston Valley will face Columbine (7-2-3, 4-0-0). A Mustang win would give Ralston Valley the league title. The Rebels, who defeated Valor 1-0 on Monday night at Lakewood Memorial Field, would take the conference title with a win or tie.

“We are looking forward to Thursday,” Ralston Valley junior Mia Alfaro said. “Hopefully come out with a win to get league.”

Sabus was the beneficiary of a pretty centering pass from Alfaro to set up the lone goal of the opening half Monday. Alfaro did the hard work getting free from an A-West defender before ripping a centering pass to Sabus, who headed the ball into the back of the net in the 12th minute.

“I always try to aim for her (Sabus) or (Evilyn Morwood) in the middle,” Alfaro said of her centering passes from out wide. “I know they are going to get their head on it.”

Alfaro extended the lead to 2-0 with her first goal of the season.

“She (Alfaro) is super powerful. She is super fast and beats almost everyone,” Sabus said of Alfaro. “She is so unselfish. That is what is so great about her.”

A-West will close out league play Thursday, April 24, at NAAC against Lakewood.

There will be a the plus-2 5A Jeffco League Tournament on Monday, April 28, and Thursday, May 1, next week. The first, second and fifth place finishers in 5A Jeffco will host games at either Lakewood Memorial Field, NAAC or Valor on Monday to start the two additional games before the state tournament.