The Spartan Soccer Squad ends their season with a loss to Wheat Ridge, 4-2, following a 3-1 loss to Kent Denver.
Photo by Maddi Doro
On Thursday, October 20th, the mighty Spartans faced the Kent Sun Devils in their last regular season game, before the playoffs began.
The Spartans started off strong, scoring a goal by Freshman Edward Yepes in the first five minutes. “We were all pumped to play,” said Junior Ty Roder. The boys fought hard for the ball, but allowed the Sun Devils to score 15 minutes later. By the end of the first half, the score was tied 1-1.
The second half was rough for the boys. Junior Goalkeeper Colin Suzuki had many great saves throughout the game. Despite Suzuki’s great efforts, the Sun Devils were able to put two more shots into the goal, leaving the game with a final score of 3-1. “The game was a let down, but the boys seemed to have learned from it, and are now more motivated than any other part of the season,” said Head Coach Jon Poole.
The next time the boys would play was at the 4A state playoffs on Wednesday, October 26th. The boys were ranked as the 24th seed and they faced Wheat Ridge. The last time the boys competed against Wheat Ridge was during the 2009-2010 season, and couldn’t pull off the win, losing in overtime. “This will be a great opportunity for redemption,” said Poole leading into the game. Wheat Ridge was placed in as the 9th seed, and the boys were excited for the challenge. “We have a better team than we were two years ago, and with Poole’s tactics towards the game plan should help up pull through with a victory,” said a hopeful Roder.
However, on a cold Thursday evening, October 27th, the boys’ soccer team faced the Wheat Ridge Farmers and came up short with a final score of 4-2.
The Spartans fought hard for the ball, but Wheat Ridge was able to score their first goal in the 20th minute. Then, with three minutes left in the first half, the Farmers scored again, leaving the half 2-0.
Within a couple of minutes of the whistle to begin the second half, the Farmers got another goal, making the score 3-0. The Farmers got their last goal into the back of the net with 12 minutes left in the game. Finally, something outstanding occurred. With five minutes left in the game, Senior Gabe da Silva scored a goal. The fans went wild. The boys built off the momentum from their first goal, and with an assist from Senior Mitch Moore, da Silva scored again.
“It was a tough loss since it was our last game,” stated Junior Ty Roder. “But he seniors went out with a bang. It showed we were able to respond to adversity, even when we were down in the dumps.”
Although the Spartans suffered a loss, they ended on a good note. “The seniors ended the season in a very fitting way; with hard work and passion,” said Head Coach Jon Poole.
In all, the season was not a failure. The boys enjoyed their time together, and had a good time playing. “This is the closest team we’ve had since I’ve been at TJ,” said Roder. The boys’ soccer team became a family, and they will remember the 2011-2012 season they played at TJ.
Friday 9/2 Bruce Randolph High School @ TJ 4:00pm (L 6-3)
Tuesday 9/6 @ Aurora West College Prep Academy 4:00pm (W 5-2)
Thursday 9/8 Brighton High School @ TJ 4:00pm (W 3-2)
Monday 9/12 @ Overland High School 3:30pm (L 4-1)
Thursday 9/15 Standley Lake High School @ TJ 4:00pm (L 2-0)
Tuesday 9/20 Denver East High School @ TJ 4:00pm (L 1-0)
Thursday 9/22 Pomona High School @ TJ 4:00pm (L 3-1)
Friday 9/23 @ Abraham Lincoln High School 4:00pm (L 10-3)
Tuesday 9/27 @ Montbello High School 4:00pm (L 4-2)
Tuesday 10/4 @ George Washington High School 4:00pm (T 2-2)
Friday 10/7 Denver South High School @ TJ 4:00 (W 1-0)
Monday 10/10 Denver North High School @ TJ 4:00pm (W 2-1)
Friday 10/14 @ Denver West High School 4:00pm (W 3-1)
Monday 10/17 John F. Kennedy High School @ TJ 5:30pm (W 2-1)
Thursday 10/20 @ Kent Denver High School 4:00pm (L 3-1)
Wednesday 10/26 PLAYOFFS- vs. Wheat Ridge @ Lakewood Memorial Field @ 5:00pm (L 4-2)
