Vail Valley soccer players reel in honors
What about Reef?

Chris Dillmann | Daily file photo
Soccer awards
4A Western Slope
First team
Zoe Booth, Eagle Valley
Claire Krueger, Battle Mountain, co-Slope Player of the Year
Maggie Skidmore, Battle Mountain
Audrey Teague, Battle Mountain
Honorable mention
Gabby Caballero, Battle Mountain
Rayna Kenney, Battle Mountain
Karla Miramontes, Eagle Valley
Kate Mitchell, Battle Mountain
Emma Uribe, Eagle Valley
Coach of the Year
David Cope, Battle Mountain
3A Western Slope
First team
Lamar Campbell, Vail Mountain
Sammy Gish, Vail Mountain
Honorable mention
Katie Bervy, Battle Mountain
2A Western Slope
First team
Zoe Barela, Vail Christian
Gretchen Pavelich, Vail Christian
Robin Pavelich, Vail Christian
Honorable mention
Caitlin Bishop, Vail Christian
Riley Layton, Vail Christian
Grace McCurdy, Vail Christian
Julia Petrik, Vail Christian
Thirty-five wins, three of them in the playoffs — 4A or 3A — a league title (Battle Mountain), a run to the state quarterfinals (Vail Mountain) and the revival of a program (Vail Christian).
All and all, it was a great year on the pitch for girls soccer throughout Eagle County. And the postseason honors show it. Eighteen Huskies, Devils, Gore Rangers and Saints made some form of all-league in their respective league.
Heck, most of them were all on the same field all at once during the Lauren Mutter Memorial Game earlier this month.
But it’s nice to see certain players get their due.
Staying in the house
The 2018 4A Slope Player of the Year was Battle Mountain’s Audrey Teague. At least part of the award is staying in Edwards. Battle Mountain’s Claire Krueger and Glenwood Springs’ Sarah Helm are co-Players of the year.
Teague certainly had a case to repeat — she scored 21 goals, more goals than last year, during the regular season, upon which these awards were voted. Yet Krueger is a satisfying choice.
The 2019 Huskies came together through their defense — Krueger, Maggie Skidmore, Addie Smith, Isabel McMurrain, Cayla Woodworth and Wilder Isom. Shutouts in 11 of 12 league games were the team’s pride and joy.

Chris Dillmann | Daily file photo
Ergo, Krueger: It’s also worth noting that the defender scored the only goal in a 1-0 win against Glenwood Springs, a contest crucial to the Huskies repeating.
The league’s Coach of the Year is shockingly David Cope. Not. Cope — since he’s won this award so many times we’ve lost count — wants to call this award Staff of the Year. So he shares it Becki Kenney.
Speaking of Kenneys, we really think Reef got snubbed.
Cult of the center back
VMS soccer found itself late this spring, and it was worth the wait. The No. 21-ranked Gore Rangers raced to the Elite Eight again.
While again, the awards are based on the regular season, Lamar Campbell had the hat trick of the season as the Gore Rangers rallied from down 3-0 to beat Stargate School during the second round of the playoffs.

Daily file photo
And then there was Sammy Gish. If anyone’s ever come within smelling distance of Vail Mountain soccer, one knows the importance of the center back in the Gore Rangers’ system. (Sort of like Krueger at Battle Mountain; the two teams play the same way.)
Gish anchored the team on and off the field. The cult of the center back lives on.
A new record
Vail Christian fell short of the ultimate goal — making the 2A playoffs. But 6-5 after its previous varsity record of 2-11 would be a step in the right direction.

Mort Mulliken | Daily file photo
Zoey Barela brought the term “Bye, Felicia” to the Saints, scoring 13 goals, a new school record. And in a season of sisters, Gretchen and Robin Pavelich shone brightly on defense. (Cult of the center back, anyone?)
