Cougars win 3A/4A Longs Peak League with undefeated record

Cruising to a 7-0 victory at Severance High School on April 8, the Niwot boys soccer team secured a perfect 9-0 record to win the 3A/4A Longs Peak League.

“They worked so hard for this,” said head coach Stephen Dimit. “They prepared all year long however they could to get ready to do this. To win the league and to win it as dominantly as we did, that's big.”

The win over Severance came on the heels of a 6-0 win over Roosevelt on April 5 and a 10-0 win over Mountain View on April 6. In Niwot’s final six games of the season, the Cougars outscored their opponents 31-0. Their 9-1 overall record has them placed sixth in the 4A RPI standings which will determine the upcoming state playoff field.

If the Cougars can replicate their performance against Severance, they should fare well in the upcoming state playoffs. Six Cougars scored a goal on the evening with senior Connor Grant netting two.

Grant’s goals came exactly one minute and 29 seconds apart to give Niwot a 5-0 lead halfway through the second half. “He really elevated his game,” Dimit said.

Prior to Grant’s run, senior Ismael Dominguez opened the scoring at the 34:10 mark in the first half and junior Azael Marrufo scored at the 11:59 mark. Although Niwot was up just 2-0 at the intermission, the Cougars controlled the ball for the majority of the half and kept Severance from getting any strong looks on goal.

Niwot’s strong defense helped sophomore goalkeeper Javier Amaya secure his sixth shutout of the season.

Perhaps the emotional highlight of the game came late in the second half with Niwot up 5-0. Dimit gave a few of his starters a rest which gave senior Maia Heather a chance to play in just his third game of the year. Heather didn’t disappoint as he scored an athletic first career goal.

“His first career goal was a beauty,” Dimit said. “Maia has been such a great teammate… It was just the perfect way to end the season.”

What made the score extra special was the reaction it prompted from the Niwot bench. A ruckus of cheers and hugs engulfed Heather, a sign of the growing Cougar camaraderie.

“It's special to see when somebody gets their first (goal) to see the bench react like that,” Dimit said.

Other Cougars to score a goal included senior Aidan Martin and senior Keegan Stobbe. To help set up the scoring, junior Julian Biscaldi, senior Ashton Campie and Stobbe each recorded two assists.

Dimit expects the Cougars to have just over a week break before they embark on the state tournament. He mentioned the need to get healthy while continuing to improve as major goals prior to the playoffs.