Devils soccer blanks Rifle
RIFLE — Thursday was a trap game for Eagle Valley soccer, and the Devils emerged unscathed with a 4-0 win at Rifle.
After a physically- and emotionally-draining win against Battle Mountain, Eagle Valley could have been forgiven for taking Rifle lightly. The Devils didn’t.
“It was tough to play on grass,” said Devils coach Bratzo Horruitiner, whose team is very used to turf. “It was a tough first half. We dominated. We controlled possession, but we missed like 10 shots.”
And that’s when a team can start to have doubt, and, perhaps, allow a quick counter from the opposition. The Devils stuck to the game plan, and the goals followed.
Kevin Aguirre, Carlos Chavez, Alex Torres and Leo Rosales scored for the Devils.
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“They did great,” Horruitiner said. “They had great organization and we’re very composed.”
Goalie Lalo Balderas will likely be a footnote in this contest, but he did have a pair of critical saves on a Bears’ free kick.
Eagle Valley (2-0 in the Slope and 2-1 overall) returns home for a big one on Tuesday against Steamboat Springs, which took down Glenwood Springs, 4-1, on the road on Thursday.
“It’s huge,” Horruitiner said. “It’s very important. They’re always favored. They’re a great team, and we’re expecting another great game.”
VMS spikers win opener
COLBRAN — Apparently, it was winning day on Thursday for the Vail Mountain School.
The soccer team won, and so did volleyball as the Gore Rangers opened the season with a 22-25, 25-12, 25-16, 25-18 win over Plateau Valley in Colbran.
“Our team played amazing and implemented our new defense really well,” VMS coach Whitney Armistead said. “All of our players contributed to the win and it was a great way to set the tone for the season.”
The Gore Rangers are home next weekend for their league opener against Caprock Academy.
Sports Editor Chris Freud can be reached at 970-748-2934, cfreud@vaildaily.com and @cfreud.
