2 weeks Ago
BROOMFIELD — From the moment that Broomfield boys soccer stepped onto the pitch following its 2023 Class 5A state championship berth, the Eagles knew they would have a bright red target on their backs. Eight games into their fall slate, nobody has been able to take down the second-ranked Eagles, not even the No. 1 team in the state.
On Thursday night at Elizabeth Kennedy Stadium, the Panthers — ranked at the very top in CHSAA’s Selection & Seeding Index — escaped their own first loss of the season with a late goal to render a 1-1 decision. Call it a midseason soccer Super Bowl of sorts. “They’re good,” Broomfield senior Adam Thresher emphasized.
“We had to come in and we knew this was our biggest game so far. We had to put everything in, everything we prepped for, practiced, everything. Our game plan was to keep it off Xander (Sevian) and David (Bojorquez) — great players.
We needed our backs to be strong and they were. Get it up the field and find midfield, win second ball.” Head coach Zach Hindman said the team’s back line as well as its standout goalie, Evan Kulstad, has been the kryptonite for even the best competitors.
That strong defense was on full display on Thursday night, whether it be Max Marchi’s or Owen Griswold’s stifling defense outside of the box or Kulstad’s soaring saves inside of it. That proved pivotal in the opening 40 minutes. The Eagles controlled much of the pace of play throughout the first half, robbing the Panthers from taking too many chances on goal.
Boulder rewarded those efforts with a foul inside the goal box to set Thresher up for a penalty kick in the 18th minute. He didn’t waste it. His lone goal of the game was just the third that Boulder senior keeper Aden Heath has allowed through seven matches, a fact which he emphasized on a leaping save just minutes later, which ricocheted off of his fingers and into the uprights above the goal.
Grant Sims, left, of Boulder, and Owen Griswold, of Broomfield battle for possession on Sept. 19, 2024. (Cliff Grasmick/Staff Photographer) Adam Thresher, center, of Broomfield, celebrates his goal with teammates, Josiah Garron Guilen, left, and Hayes Baucom.
(Cliff Grasmick/Staff Photographer) Arshia Khodaee, right, of Broomfield, kicks past Xander Sevian, of Boulder. (Cliff Grasmick/Staff Photographer) Nicolas Gibbons, left, of Broomfield, keeps the ball from David Bojoquez, of Boulder. (Cliff Grasmick/Staff Photographer) Devan Riviera Lyons, left, of Boulder, and Adam Thresher, of Broomfield, hit the ball back in play.
(Cliff Grasmick/Staff Photographer) Xander Sevian, left, of Boulder, works against Evan Rea, of Broomfield. (Cliff Grasmick/Staff Photographer) Devan Riviera Lyons, left, of Boulder, kicks past Cole Martin, of Broomfield. (Cliff Grasmick/Staff Photographer) Joziah Garron Gullen, right, hits the ball past Logan Coughlin, of Boulder.
(Cliff Grasmick/Staff Photographer) Joziah Garron Guilen right, of Broomfield, tries to score on Zach Sheinbaum, of Boulder. (Cliff Grasmick/Staff Photographer) Santiago Martinez Garcia, left, of Boulder, collides with Hayes Baucom, of Broomfield, on Sept. 19, 2024.
(Cliff Grasmick/Staff Photographer) Adam Thresher, left, of Broomfield, slides into Santiago Martinez Garcia, of Boulder. (Cliff Grasmick/Staff Photographer) Grant Sims, left, of Boulder, and Owen Griswold, of Broomfield battle for possession on Sept. 19, 2024.
(Cliff Grasmick/Staff Photographer) Adam Thresher, left, of Broomfield, and Connor Sims, of Boulder, battle at the goal. (Cliff Grasmick/Staff Photographer) Grant Sims, left, of Boulder, and Owen Griswold, of Broomfield battle for possession on Sept. 19, 2024.
(Cliff Grasmick/Staff Photographer) The Panthers returned the favor by taking on much of the attacking role in the second half, and they eventually broke through when senior forward Bojorquez — who transferred from Estes Park with 65 goals over three years — took a perfect pass from Logan Coughlin and deflected it past Kulstad in the 71st minute. His presence has only elevated a Boulder team that’s downright scary this year. “He said that he wanted to come to this team because people talked about it, that this team is a family and he knew he was going to make a change for this team,” Bojorquez said through a translator.
“He said that the ball was moving around, he saw Logan pass the ball, he made that sprint and scored.” The Panthers very nearly netted the game winner with a minute and 20 seconds left on the clock, when Coughlin launched a header over the crossbar on a free kick from Sevian, but nobody was getting out of this one with a victory. Instead, the Eagles reached a 7-0-1 record and Boulder achieved a 6-0-1 mark.
The Panthers will make their next trip to Fossil Ridge on Tuesday, whereas Broomfield will take a bit of time off before heading to Northglenn on Sept. 27. If the postseason bracket shakes out just right come November, these two teams may very well be competing for a state crown.
“I think we know that every team wants to give us their best because we just came off a championship,” Thresher said. “But, our mentality is gone for the championship last year. We’re on for a new one.
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