LOUISVILLE — Players agreed that some of the emotions brimming in the Fairview-Monarch girls soccer game Tuesday night may have been aided by some prior ribbing on social media.
But no TikTok or Elon Musk-approved tweet could outshine what turned into a back-and-forth, playoff-like classic that stretched the nerves of more than 100 onlookers through two overtimes, before settling into a 2-2 draw.
“It’s kind of strange, they’re not really our rivals but (the game) got really hyped up on social media and heated,” Monarch senior Anna Tucker said. “It’s crazy. But it was so much fun to play with the fans. Every touch you take, it was like they were cheering for you.”
Sophia Stalter tallied two more goals to her impressive sophomore campaign for the Coyotes (8-4-1, 4-3-1 Class 5A Front Range League), including her game-tying chance in the 65th minute. Tucker added an expert helper on her first, colliding with a defender as she headed the ball up field for Stalter’s opening goal in the 9th.
Fairview (5-5-2, 3-3-2) countered with goals from Elori Crosby and Maggie Behringer at Monarch’s field. The Knights were coming off successive losses to 5A top 10 teams Legacy and Cherry Creek, in which they were outscored 8-2.
“We really wanted to come out in this game and prove to everyone that Fairview can play soccer and we were legit,” Crosby said. “It meant a lot to come out, guns blazing.”
Crosby gave Fairview its first lead of the game in the 52nd minute, one that for a while looked as if it would stick, beating keeper Madalyn Kennedy low and to the left. Stalter then answered with her 15th goal of the season and eighth over her last three games.
From there — chaos, with no true answer. The teams traded chances late in regulation and throughout both overtimes.
Among things that kept the fans off-kilter over the final minutes: Tucker missed just high and Caroline Walley cleared against the goal line for Monarch. Claire Silverman then had shots go narrowly wide and high in the final minute for Fairview.
“It’s definitely fun to play in a game like this,” Fairview junior defender Ilise Ziebarth said, acknowledging the added tension from the online chatter. “It makes every goal and every block that much more exciting.”
Earlier, Tucker, with no regard for her body, collided with a defender as she set up Stalter. On the peak of a high bounce, Tucker leapt up and got a perfect touch up the field through contact. Stalter then raced it down and put her left foot on a chance that hit the top corner of the net.
Behringer tied it in the 22nd. Her low bouncing shot had enough English to skip through the hands of Kennedy. It was the junior’s second goal of the season and first since the team’s opening-day victory over Castle View on March 12.
The draw inches both teams closer to the 32-team postseason as Monarch has two games remaining and the Knights three.
Fairview, ranked 17th in the RPI standings, hosts Mountain Range Thursday. Monarch, 21st, is at Fort Collins.
