Cody Jones/Summit Daily News
After a week off from games for spring break, the Summit High School girls soccer team returned to the field on Tuesday, April 23, to take on Breckenridge's Glenwood Springs High School.
All 4A Western Slope League games are important throughout the regular season, but Tuesday's game was especially important for the Tigers' women's soccer team as it served as the team's senior night game.
With five seniors on the roster, Summitt took the field and got off to an active start against the Glenwood Springs Demons.
Junior Avery Eitel, senior Ellie Sudduth and senior Ella Snyder look to extend the Tigers' winning streak to two games with a win over Middle Park High School on April 11 before spring break. He worked to establish possession in the offensive zone and make shots. On the internet.
After a few minutes in front of the net, the Demons turned the field over and went on offense for the first time that night. Glenwood Springs came close to scoring from a corner kick, but the chance was largely held back by Summit's defense.
Sensing the momentum was starting to shift in their favor, the Demons continued to put pressure on the Tigers' defense and fired shots toward the net.
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After overcoming a flurry of attacks from Glenwood Springs, Summit sophomore Penelope Wietake charged onto the field and fed the ball to Snyder, who tried to hit the net but was blocked by a defender.
A few minutes later, Summitt had a chance to score from a free kick, but the shot went over the goal.
Although they didn't score a goal, the Tigers continued to maintain high intensity. About 30 minutes into the game, Summitt had several shots on the net, but Glenwood Springs sophomore goalie Hayden Kruwijk remained stoic and made sure the ball didn't get caught in the twine. .
Near the end of the first half, Snyder once again had the ball in front of the net and sent a nifty pass to sophomore Jaime Im Nadler, who threaded it past Kulwijk. Summit junior Olivia Lyman was the driving force behind the Tigers' defense, and the game went into halftime with Summit leading 1-0.
Not wanting to ruin Summit's best night, Glenwood Springs started the first half by driving down the field and challenging Summit's second-half goalie, Cage Boyles. Boyles was still warming up going into the game, but made a number of clutch saves to keep Summit's hopes of a big win alive.
As in the first half, Summit battled past Glenwood Springs' advances. Summitt declined to play and began looking for his own scoring opportunities. Snyder and Eitel tried to exchange passes in front of the net, but the Demons tightened their defense and cleared the ball out of the zone.
With less than 20 minutes remaining, Glenwood Springs made a final effort to find the tying goal. The Demons had a number of shots over the course of several minutes, but Boyles put together the first one. Under constant pressure from Glenwood Springs, the ball eventually bounced past Boyles' outstretched arm and into the back of the net.
Not wanting the game to go into overtime, Snyder sprinted through several Glenwood Springs defenders right off the kickoff to restore Summit's lead. The goal excited the Summit sideline and led to a tremendous defensive effort by Lyman. However, with less than seven minutes remaining, Glenwood Springs shocked the crowd once again, tying the game at 2-2.
With the game on the verge of overtime, Summitt ran down the field and sophomore Annika Blocker held onto the ball and attempted to pass it to a teammate. Seeing senior Mia Nelson in open space in front of the net, Brecker sent a pass down the field, where Nelson immediately passed Kulvajic and scored the winning goal.
Summit defeated Glenwood Springs 3-2 on Senior Night.
“The game was back-and-forth, so the emotions of the whole team were very up and down,” Nelson said. “The goal was a really high and emotional moment, especially on my senior night and one of my last few games with this team.”
With this win, Summit advanced to 5 wins, 6 losses, and 2 wins, 4 losses in the league.
“We lacked a little bit of energy at the beginning, but after we scored the first goal, we really picked up steam,” Nelson said. “I think having the belief that we could win the game really got us through it.”
Summit will now prepare to face the difficult Palisade High School girls soccer team on Friday, April 26th at Palisade.
“We're on a two-game winning streak, so that gives us even more motivation to go and beat Palisade,” Nelson said.
