BROOMFIELD — The girls soccer program from Broomfield High School is not 20 days into its spring schedule and is already plucked as the top team in the state and nation.
Declared No. 1 in the latest Class 5A CHSAA and the United Soccer Coaches rankings, the defending champions continued to shine amid the spotlight Thursday night at Elizabeth Kennedy Stadium, logging its third straight victory to open the season.
“The rankings are a bit of a feather in their cap, but they also know we haven’t proven much yet,” said coach Jim Davidson after his team’s 1-0 victory over Fairview. “We’re a different team, we’re a new team, and it’s a new season. We know the target is big on our back.”
Coming off a 5-0 win against defending 5A/4A Northern League champ Windsor earlier in the month, followed by a 6-0 rout of Boulder Tuesday, senior captain Morgan Scheller took a square pass from Victoria Choren in the 59th minute against the Knights and was true for the game’s lone goal.
On it, Choren nearly lost her balance as she worked through defenders left of the net. Scheller, meanwhile, found enough of an opening on the opposite post, taking the feed before beating a retreating Alyson Campbell for the winner.
“We were able to change our formation and I just kept going backdoor because I saw it open and I had a bunch of space,” said Scheller after her first goal of the season. “I saw Vicky pushing through it and I saw an opening. I was wide open.”
The nifty connection proved as the lone crack for Campbell, the Knights keeper who’d been terrific coming off injury in her first game action of the season.
Campbell said she’d practiced just twice since getting healthy but the rust didn’t show as she pushed aside chances with leaping denies high and wide.
In front of her, Kyla Stroker tested Broomfield keeper Dylan Drennan in a scoreless opening half. Malana Gurmendi was then denied the equalizer in the 63rd before she missed high in the 67th.
The Eagles tested Campbell earlier as she soared through the air to eclipse a far-post chance from Choren. Michaela McGowan did too in the 72nd, getting a clean look inside the box.
By the end, Broomfield (3-0, 2-0 Front Range League) had held on for its seventh straight win dating back to last season, while Fairview (1-2, 0-2) dropped its second straight.
Optimism was high for both afterward.
“I’m really confident in our team moving forward,” Campbell said. “The Front Range is super competitive all together, but I think we have a really good team, and we’ll have a lot of success this season.”
Broomfield has combined to outscore its first three opponents,12-0, while beating two of its biggest local foes in Boulder and Fairview. It faces Fort Collins Tuesday.
The Knights, like the Eagles, have dealt with the overlap of the club season and minimal outside practice due to weather in the opening month. They host Arvada West Saturday.
“Super proud of the girls and the way they came out,” Fairview coach Steve Griggs said. “We had a plan for Broomfield as we did last year. Jim (Davidson) is always on it and always has a great group to counter anything we do. It was a fantastic effort.”
