Season ends for soccer team with loss to Eagle Ridge Academy

The Gunnison High School boys soccer team’s 2026 season came to an end last week after they fell to Eagle Ridge Academy in the first round of the 3A State Playoffs.

The Cowboys made the trip to Brighton on Wednesday, Oct. 28, as the No. 27 seed to take on Eagle Ridge Academy, the No. 6 seed in the tournament. 

The first half of the match provided a lot of back-and-forth but the scoreboard read 0-0 as the two teams made their way to their locker rooms for halftime.

The Warriors finally broke the game open with a goal just over 10 minutes into the half. About 10 minutes later, the Cowboys responded with a goal of their own to tie the game up. Eli Coop received a pass just past the midfield logo, beat two Eagle Ridge defenders and unloaded a shot from outside the 18-yard box to the far post to knot the game up at one.

Minutes later though, the Warriors answered with a goal of their own to go back up a goal and with just over seven minutes remaining the Warriors added an insurance goal.

When the final whistle sounded, the scoreboard read 3-1 and the Cowboys’ season had come to an end.

“I mean, overall, my kids played awesome,” said head coach Susan Powers. “I was super proud of them and the way they played.”
During the last week of the season, the Cowboys lost four players to season-ending injuries which put the team at an immediate disadvantage on Wednesday. Still, Powers emphasized that the players who did play, played fantastic.

Powers called the ending to the season bittersweet, but was proud of the year on the whole because they made the playoffs in their first year back in 3A.

“For us to qualify for the playoffs at the 3A level and to compete as well as we did, I think is really just amazing and something for the kids to be proud of,” said Powers. “And more importantly, this group of kids, they just, they're competitors to their very core. And every time they stepped on the field, I knew that I could count on them to give everything they had.”

The team’s mentality this season started with the seniors, noted Powers. Coop, Edvin Juan Jesus, William Hubbard, Cian O’Dubhaigh, Jose Zeferino, Caleb Woodward and Jesus Diaz all played their final match in a Cowboys’ jersey, but their impact will long be remembered. 

Powers highlighted Coop’s leadership, intensity and focus as a captain, Hubbard’s off-field leadership and growth, Diaz’s versatility on the field, O’Dubhaigh’s physical presence and Juan Jesus’ vital contributions all year long.

Even though the year has just ended, Powers emphasized that she is already excited for next year. This year’s group of seniors were an important part of the team’s success this season, but there was also a really strong group of juniors who will be back next year.

“We've got some key roles we'll need to fill,” said Powers. “And I think that it's always kind of fun to see how players can step up over the offseason or over the summer and just see old players in new roles and then some new players in new roles as well. So it's always just like a little bit of a puzzle to try and put things together.”

Most of all, Powers highlighted the perseverance this year’s team showed throughout the season.

“We had some adversity this season and yet every game, they showed up to play their best and to represent themselves well,” said Powers. “And as a coach, you really can't beat that. You can't ask for anything more than that. And yeah, they're a great group.”