GHS boys soccer surge to postseason win

Hips are the key when Sam Anderson makes a split-second decision. The senior goalkeeper on the GHS boys soccer team turned in his fourth clean sheet of the season in a 3-0 Class 2A first-round playoff win against Campion Academy in Loveland on Halloween. 

It was a shutout that didn’t come easily. Three times in the first half, the Cougars split the

Cowboys back line and forced Anderson out of the net. When that happens the first thing he’ll

check is a player’s eyes. If they look down, they’re preparing to shoot. 

Then it’s onto the touch. If it’s far away from their body Anderson might have an opportunity to

pounce. But, there’s always one thing that can’t lie — the hips. As Anderson makes a series of

calculations in the blink of an eye, his final check is with himself.  

“I rely on a bunch of keys,” Anderson said. “But, I like to count on my gut feeling. Then the hips.

They can tell a lot about what a player is doing.” 

Anderson’s effort between the sticks, and goals from Freshman Charlie Wolfenbarger, Jerico Espinoza and Cesar Marmolejo secured the second all-time playoff win for GHS. Eli Coop added a pair of assists, and the Cowboys defense held Campion Academy at bay for 80 minutes. 

The No. 21 Cowboys delivered what coach Susan Powers had been waiting for all season against the No. 12 Cougars — a complete game. 

“I said last week we hadn’t played a full game,” Powers said. “We finally did it. It was a true

team effort and what we’ve been working towards. The high level of trust among the boys. The

acceptance of roles and willingness to work together. We put a huge focus and energy into the

game, and it all paid off.”

While the Cowboys also won a first-round game last season, Anderson said Gunnison was

prepared for the emotional gauntlet of an elimination game.

“The pressure is there,” Anderson said. “It’s my last year as a senior. It could be the last time I ever play on a soccer team and I want to go as far as we can and play for as long as we can. We all had some nerves but did a good job of turning those into energy that we used to our

advantage.”