Chalk one up to bad luck.
The Durango High School boys soccer team lost 1-0 to Fruita Monument on Friday at Riverview Sports Complex.
Fruita (11-2, 8-0 Southwestern League) pushed the ball on a breakaway and Durango’s (6-5-1, 4-4-1 SWL) attempt at clearance instead flew into the top corner of the net in the 43rd minute.
“We got the lucky break,” Wildcats’ head coach Daniel McKee said. “That’s what it takes sometimes.”
The Wildcats would’ve had more goals if not for the play of DHS goalkeeper Patrick Leach, who made five saves in the match, many of them on breakaways.
The Demons’ offense wasn’t able to give him any cushion.
DHS built several scoring chances in each half, but it couldn’t find the final pass.
“Most of the time we couldn’t get that last ball to someone’s feet,” said DHS forward Nick Aggeler, son of Cheryle and Terence Aggeler. “We had great possession all the way up the field, and that final ball was too far backward or too far forward.”
Aggeler nearly leveled the match in the 64th minute, but his touch slid past the Wildcats’ goalie and wide of the post.
Tony Williams struck a free kick in the 70th minute that landed in the top netting and was so close that several Demons started to celebrate like he had scored.
“We’ve been almost all there the whole entire season. That free kick was ‘there it is, there it is, there it went,’” DHS head coach Dalon Parker said. “When this team puts the ball in the back of the net, they put it in waves. We just have to keep picking, we’ll get there.”
DHS won’t have to wait long to try and move on.
The Demons will play Grand Junction Central at 11 a.m. Saturday at Riverview Sports Complex for senior day.
The Demons defeated the Warriors 4-1 on Sept. 27 in Grand Junction.
Asked what the Demons can take away from playing the league leaders to a scoreless draw minus an own goal, Parker said: “You take away that you put pressure on the league leaders, and you had so many opportunities to put it away and just couldn’t do it.
“You take that away, and you build on it for the next game.”
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
