Taking on the top team in Colorado can certainly provide encouraging results, even when the score isn’t obviously in a team’s favor. The Manitou Springs girls soccer team sustained a 2-1 loss at the hands of Lutheran (the state’s top team, according the Class 3A CHSAANow.com coaches poll), but it was maybe the most encouraging loss the girls could’ve hoped for.
Erica Sherwin scored the Mustangs’ lone goal, which came in the second half of the April 16 game. The team (7-2-1 overall, 2-0 Tri-Peaks) fired 14 shots, but that was the only one that bore any fruit.
“That would’ve felt good,” coach Ben Mack said. “It was an entertaining game for the players and for the fans. It was wide open and we were pushing to win the game, which was great for the coaches and the players.”
The Mustangs bounced back from that loss with a 5-0 win over Vanguard on April 19. Madrid Mack broke the scoreless tie in the first half and the Mustangs never looked back. She added another goal in the second half.
“The game in the first half was a lot slower than what we’re used to,” she said. “Scoring even the first goal hyped us up a bit to finish this game 5-0. That first half wasn’t how we usually play, so those first goals are crucial for making our intensity higher.”
Sherwin and Abby Parker added goals in the second half to give Manitou a little more comfort with the lead, but it turned out to be unnecessary. The Manitou offense controlled the ball for most of the game and the Coursers never posed a legitimate threat.
The win caps an overall successful week for the Mustangs, despite going 1-1. The loss to Lutheran does sting a little, but it was a game the Mustangs feel they could have won and now have the confidence that they can compete with any team in the state.
“If we would’ve won it would’ve been a little bit better,” Ben Mack said. “But it was fine. It was a mid-season game and you want a mid-season game like that. Psychologically, it allows our players to know that they can beat anybody.”
The Mustangs are back in action on Tuesday, April 26, when they host Florence to try to remain undefeated in league play.