The Manitou Springs boys soccer team has played more in the style that will best lead to success, but the results were mixed after the Oct. 11 win against Lamar.
The Mustangs suffered a 1-0 loss at Woodland Park on Oct. 13 and then turned around to get a non-league win over Pagosa Springs on Oct. 15.
Gavin Smith and Evan Yount scored goals in the win over the Pirates, which could have prepared the Mustangs for a big showdown with Atlas Prep on Oct. 18. But the Mustangs lost to the Gryphons 2-0.
“I thought we played organized in the back even though they had almost all the possession in the first half, which was kind of by design,” coach Ben Mack said. “We absorbed that attack and they didn’t scare me at all and I didn’t think they’d score.”
As of Monday, Oct. 17, the Mustangs (8-4-1 overall, 1-2 Tri-Peaks) sat at No. 24 in the CHSAA Class 3A boys soccer Selection and Seeding Index. The playoff field consists of 32 teams, so they’re still very much in play, but have a tough regular season finale against James Irwin on Thursday, Oct. 20.
Manitou missed the playoffs a year ago, so being in the fight at this point is encouraging for players who have battled all season long.
“This makes Thursday phenomenally important,” midfielder Luke Donegan said. “It’s vital that we win that game. I want to make the playoffs.”
For most of their league matches, the Mustangs have employed a style of play based on building its offense from the back of the formation. They’re trying to keep games close and win them with 1-0 or 2-1 scores, as seen in the past week.
That will be quite the challenge for the Oct. 20 match with James Irwin, considering that the Jaguars average four goals per game and have scored fewer than three goals just once in four league contests.
“We’ll have to push forward,” Mack said. “If we can sneak a goal in quickly then we’ll probably go back and defend. But if we need to push for a goal, we’ll try to do what we have to do.”
As of now, the Mustangs appear in line for a playoff berth, which was a big goal at the beginning of the season. But with one important game left, this team knows that it can’t leave anything to chance.