Near upset of Front Range charter school ends in loss

The girls soccer team came as close as they have in a long time — possibly ever — to advancing in the state playoffs.

The Miners, seeded 13th  in the 16 team playoff, had the win in their hands against 4th seeded Peak to Peak High School — and it slipped right through their fingers.

It was jostled loose mainly by the flying Chandler sisters, four members of the semi-famous Chandler Quints, a touring testament to the ability of in vitro fertilization to populate the better part of a high school soccer team. (The fifth member of the quints would probably like to play for the team, but had the misfortune of being born a boy.)
The final boxscore, 5-1 in favor of the Boulder County charter school, glosses over the half hour that Telluride had the lead 1-0, and held a ticket to the round of eight. 
“That was the first chance we had in years,” said coach Aja Forestier.

It started so well. Less than five minutes in, Isabel Waldman — the booming foot of Judy Long Field — launched a shot from the side that nearly curved in.

But it didn’t need to. It bounced off the goalpost, and Caitlin Bush was in perfect position to give it one touch for the goal.

“That’s my girl!” yelled Sally Jones, Bush’s mother.

Sally Jones’ girl had given the Miners the chance to continue their strong season. Finishing 9-0 in the San Juan League and 9-4 overall, the Miners had been steamrolling.

“That first half was awesome,” said coach Fortestier. “They played up to these girls on every level. We just couldn’t finish any goals.”

It looked like Telluride was going to hammer the nail in the coffin when Waldman had a near-perfect cross on a free kick from the side, which Nikki Gallen nearly put in. And then Waldman’s shot from 20 yards — solid and strong — had the misfortune of sailing right into the goalie’s arms.

But the real misfortune was to come, and it would come in buckets.

Peak to Peak is a good school, named the best high school in Colorado by 5280 magazine and 47th best in the entire flippin’ country by U.S. News. But it’s also a big school, compared to Telluride, with 480 kids to Telluride’s 182. Peak to Peak (one of the few high schools with an adjective for a name) usually plays in class 3A. They were surprised by Telluride’s fight.

“On paper, they’re not supposed to be as competitive as our competition in our Metro 3A league,” said Peak to Peak coach Peter Chandler. “We were giving them life by having them score the first goal like that.”

The Pumas attacked, and began to pour shots at Telluride’s goal. Waldman headed a particularly vicious shot out of the box, but didn’t head it quite far enough, as the ball was crossed toward Telluride goalie Alison Horn. It dropped in — and out — of Horn’s hands, to be nudged in by the Pumas’ Rebecca Mitchell.

And suddenly, Telluride’s first trip past the first round of the playoff seemed as far away as ever.

The Pumas were hungry. Horn made a couple of tough saves, once getting mauled by a charging Meagan Chandler, who put a shoe in her stomach.

The Miners file into the locker room with a 1-1 tie. They would have to find a way to slow down the Puma attack and put more pressure on the Puma goalie.

They did not.

After half, the Pumas scored four goals and stopped the Miners season cold. Telluride took casualties — sweeper Mackie Fernald, captain Maddie Crowell, and Chancee Forestier all went down with injuries.

“As soon as people started coming out, goals started going in,” said Aja Forestier.
Goalie Horn has a tremendous clearing kick once she gets hold of the ball, and she put her body on the line to the point that she was eventually battered and knocked out of the game, but the shots came rapid-fire, and she couldn’t handle them. And the Pumas scored two quick goals from two of the flying Chandler sisters, Meagan and Heidi.

The Pumas added two more after Horn was replaced by Brooke Erskin — on a lofting free kick from Heidi Chandler and a whipping turnaround shot from Karin Taylor just as time expired.

Much as the crowd wanted Telluride to win, they couldn’t begrudge Peak to Peak their win.

After all, said coach Peter Chandler, Peak to Peak has never been past the first round of the playoffs, either.