BOULDER — It’s less than a week into the regular season and Fairview coach Jeff Frykholm already has learned a season’s worth about his team.
After an opening night double overtime loss to Castle View — in which they allowed three goals on just four shots — the Knights regrouped and, more importantly, refocused.
They were not about to let that setback define their season.
On Tuesday afternoon, the preseason No. 7 Knights played well from start to finish against visiting No. 6 Cherry Creek and walked away with a well deserved 1-0 victory over the Bruins.
“The number one word on the board today was identity,” said Frykholm, whose team improved to 1-1 in the early going. “It’s early, but we showed some things today that we didn’t in that last match that are real promising.”
It was the visiting Bruins (1-1) that had the better of the chances in a scoreless first half, but nothing that really challenged Fairview sophomore goalie Hayden Velds.
And after and early Bruins rush in the second half, the Knights took over the possession and started to create opportunities in bunches.
Senior Ari Konstantopoulos had the first quality chance for the Knights in the 58th minutes, but had her shot deflected away for a corner.
Moments later, Konstantopoulos was on the receiving end of an Adriane Mason cross, but flicked her header just high.
“I kind of felt something was coming, because it was starting to get intense,” sophomore forward Aspen Anderson said. “I just had the feeling like the keeper was going to make a mistake or something was going to happen.”
Her inclination was spot on, and Anderson was in the right place at the right time to finish off said mistake. Konstantopoulos’ cross was pushed out to the top of the box by Bruins keeper Mackenzie Bryant and it came right to Anderson, who was able to finish with ease into an open net that Bryant couldn’t recover in time to defend.
Mason, one of the many dynamic sophomores on the Fairview roster, nearly made it 2-0 in the 73rd minute when her shot from distance was timed right and deflected over the bar.
“We needed this in a big way, because there were a lot of doubts after that last one. We dropped a game that we really shouldn’t have,” Frykholm said. “We talked about how there was no crisis going on, we just had to come out and do our thing.
“And as badly as we felt the other day, we had the chance to feel just as good.”
It will be nine days before the Knights take the pitch again, opening their Front Range League campaign against Horizon on Thursday, March 22.
Jon Yunt: yuntj@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/JonEYunt
FAIRVIEW 1, CHERRY CREEK 0
At Fairview
Cherry Creek (1-1)00—0
Fairview (1-1)01—1
Goal (assist) — Fairview: Aspen Anderson (unassisted), 69th minute.
Goalies (Min-Goals allowed-Saves) — Cherry Creek: Mackenzie Bryant (80-1-4); Fairview: Hayden Velds (80-0-3).
