Second place marks finale to a season of comebacks

The Crested Butte Titans girls soccer team played at the state championships last Wednesday, May 25 against the Dawson School Mustangs of Lafayette. While the result was a 3-0 loss, it only served as an unfortunate end to an otherwise impressive season comeback. With a rocky start, and a montage worthy recovery, the girls battled to earn their place at the final game. With six seniors leaving this year, it also marks the changing face of the team as a whole.

Coach Heather Culley discussed this year and its highlights.

“I would say that this season exceeded all of our expectations as coaches,” Culley said. “We started off with four losses, and then we turned that around.” 

With a record of 12-5 leading up to the state championship, the girls did indeed turn things around. The team at one point had a streak of eight wins that was broken by a loss to Telluride. Despite this, it finished the season with four more wins before they met the Mustangs in the championship. 

The game was played at Dicks Sporting Goods park in Commerce City, the final score of the game was 0-3 Lafayette. This concluded  the girls’ season with a record of 12-6. Culley suggests the nerves got to a good portion of the team. 

“Definitely some nerves in the beginning, playing in a big stadium, and a big game,” she said. “But I think that the game was good.”

Culley went on to recognize the players who adapted to the circumstances, managing to play well in the final portion of their season. 

“Our goal keeper, Mara Pennie, definitely stepped it up in the playoffs,” she said. “Ellie O.Neal, Cassidy Wirsing, Campbell Ryan, those girls definitely stepped up their game.”

Leigh Harpel was noted by her coach for having performed particularly well in the final championship game. Over the course of the entire season, Harpel amassed a total of nine assists, three times the national average. As Harpel goes into junior year, she will prove to be a player to watch as she improves her game.  

Perhaps, a large hit to the team is the loss of six seniors: Hannah Weil, Nevada Scales, Campbell Ryan, Sami Lakoski, Maddie Bogard and Caroline Bryndal all graduated this year. With their departure, the team faces a new wave of underclassmen that will be moving up.

“There are definitely some juniors and sophomores and a couple freshmen that we have right now,” she said. “Nicola Roberts, Vivian White, Kaytlin Rasmussen and Lilah Young will potentially step up.” 

With the exiting seniors, incoming freshman and the other players in between, the team is about to have an entirely new face in the coming year. But with talent showing in the youth who are taking up the mantle, this new face will be one of potential. The final thought expressed by Culley was that overall this was a good season, and the future of the Titans girls soccer team is a bright one.