The Longmont girls soccer team picked the wrong time to turn in an uncharacteristic performance.
A stout defensive team throughout their roundly successful 2015 campaign, the Trojans were unable to keep up that intensity on Wednesday as Pueblo Centennial eliminated Longmont from the Class 4A state tournament with a 4-1 first-round win.
“It seemed like they were good about shifting from left to right and stretching our defense out, which we haven’t done,” Longmont coach Mike DiGiallonardo said. “We like to keep tight. But they stretched us out and sent some speedy players cutting through the middle. We just had a really rough game.”
Longmont (9-6-1) trailed 2-0 at halftime but made things interesting early in the second half when Bailee Fowler scored off an assist from Kaylah Waddle. Centennial, however, padded its lead less than 10 minutes later and cruised from there.
Under assault all night, Longmont goalie Grace Hamm finished with 12 saves.
“I’m really pleased with the season,” DiGiallonardo said. “You’d love to proceed to the next round, but I’m really proud of these girls. I’m going to miss our seniors, and they did a great job, but we have a chance to compete for years to come. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”
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Pueblo Centennial 4, Longmont 1
At Dutch Clark Stadium
Longmont 0 1 — 1
Pueblo Centennial 2 2 — 4
Goals (assists) — Longmont: Bailee Fowler (Kaylah Waddle).
Goalies (Min-Goals allowed-Saves) — Longmont: Grace Hamm (80-4-12).
