Eagle Valley girls soccer defeats Battle Mountain
Devils earn first victory over rivals since 2017
The last time the above headline was used in the 22 meetings between Eagle Valley and Battle Mountain girls soccer teams, was March 24, 2017, when the Devils beat the Huskies 2-1.
Well, make it 2-for-23.
Reagan McAdams scored a clutch second-half goal to propel Eagle Valley to a 1-0 conference victory over rival Battle Mountain Thursday night in Gypsum, the Devils third straight win.
“We went into the game knowing it was a big game and rivalry games are so fun and the kids just went for it,” said first-year Devils coach Jess Platt.
Accurately contextualized the game in the rivalry’s lore, she continued, “It was a pretty big deal for them.”
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Platt, a longtime seasonal resident of the Valley who took over the position after a decade of coaching in Massachusetts — where girls soccer is a fall sport — has fostered a tightly knit group between both junior varsity and varsity squads.
“They’re really finding their dynamic and chemistry with each other,” she noted of her girls’ progression through the last three wins.
“This season, they have a really great mentality of wanting to improve and play for each other. They’re showing a lot of pride and I think it’s carried onto their results.”
Junior Sophie Webster found McAdams on a deep midfield pass for the lone score halfway through the second half.
“I think a lot of people thought it was going over,” Platt said of McAdams’ high-angle shot that dropped in over the opposing goalie’s head. The Devils’ cohesive midfielders impressed the coach, who felt her team was controlling most of the 50-50 balls.
“It helped us with our momentum physically and mentally,” commented Platt.
“Keeping the positive energy going I think has a huge impact on their confidence to take shots from anywhere and I think for Reagan, that paid off.”
It was goalie Jaquelyn Castellon’s second straight shutout.
“She’s a standout,” Platt said in describing one of the Western Slope’s premiere goalies. “She really comes in big on game day — she’s really dynamic.”
Platt said a major focus has been tightening up the team’s defensive shape, and she’s starting to notice improvements.
“They’re really coming along with how they support each other and the decisions they make, to when they step to the ball. I think they’re really starting to click,” she said.
“It was a true team effort for sure.”
Eagle Valley heads over the pass to take on Summit, whom they defeated 2-1 on March 26, next Tuesday. Eagle Valley (2-2-1 league, 3-3-1 overall) now sits tied with Battle Mountain (1-1 league; 1-5 overall) for third in the 4A Western Slope standings, behind Glenwood Springs (2-0 league; 2-1 overall) and Steamboat Springs (3-0 league; 5-0 overall). Battle Mountain hosts the top-ranked Sailors on April 5.
Steamboat hands Vail Mountain girls soccer its first loss
A hat trick from Reina Bomberski and two goals from Gwyn Jamison gave Steamboat Springs a 6-2 victory over Vail Mountain School on Thursday in non-conference girls soccer action Thursday in Vail. Stella Stone and Gaby Gish each scored for the Gore Rangers in the loss.
Vail Mountain (4-1) will look to get back on track against Roaring Fork (0-1) on Saturday. In the 3A Western Slope standings, Aspen, Coal Ridge and Vail Mountain are all 1-0 in league play.
