Flanagan powers Niwot girls to rout of Roosevelt

A slow start gave way to an avalanche of scoring, as the Niwot girls soccer team cruised to a 9-0 victory over Roosevelt on May 13. The Cougars were led by senior Kiera Flanagan and her four goals, but several newcomers also contributed to the lopsided win, which second-year coach Jenna Machado took as a promising sign for the youthful team.

"I was very happy with that," Machado said of the effort from the freshmen and sophomores in her team's second win of the season. "I'm very excited because I think this year's going to be very good."

Despite the eventual outcome, the Niwot offense was off-balance during most of the first half and was not able to convert on several scoring chances. Flanagan struck first for the Cougars in the 10th minute, with a goal on a direct kick following a Roosevelt penalty. But it wasn't until the 35th minute that Niwot scored during game play, when Flanagan followed up with two more goals in quick succession, putting the Cougars ahead 3-0 at the break.

"We put a lot of pressure on ourselves unnecessarily and that sometimes can mess up with their head and their game," Machado said of her team's first half performance. "But a lot of it was playing simple. We need to put in 100% effort to not let our ego get in there."

Machado said that during her halftime remarks, she urged her players to "calm down and be confident," and focus on having fun, advice that paid off almost immediately, when Flanagan took a long centering pass from sophomore Maislin Barrett and scored her fourth goal of the game, just 16 seconds into the second period.

"She's a phenomenal player," Machado said of the fourth-year varsity forward, who recently signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Denver. "She's a unique, special player, and someone who fits the [NCAA Division I] profile. There's just a whole different aspect to her game."

Flanagan didn't see much playing time after that, but her teammates picked up right where she left off. Just 90 seconds later, sophomore Hannah Barrett extended Niwot's lead to 5-0 when she redirected a corner kick past the Rough Riders goalie. She followed up two minutes later, after an indirect kick from Maislin Barrett just outside the Roosevelt box, making it 6-0 Niwot.

The Cougars would go on to add goals from junior Grace Krall, sophomore Martha McCarthy, and freshman Margoux Boyer, with her second of the year. In total, 10 Niwot players posted either a goal or an assist against Roosevelt, and gained valuable experience in the process, according to Machado.

"The goal is to get as much playing time as possible and give girls touches on the ball, and give them the time that they've earned and deserved," the coach said. "It's hard because some of these girls didn't get a season last year, and it's just being able to get those touches in and for them to enjoy it too."

Meanwhile, down at the other end of the field, the newly configured Cougar defense saw limited action. Junior goalie Carly Toothaker made a handful of saves on the day, but otherwise Roosevelt's attack wasn't able to put much pressure on Niwot defenders, another promising sign for Machado.

"We're starting a three-back system, instead of a four-back, so that's definitely been a big transition," Machado said. "But I'm very happy with how they responded today."

With the win, Niwot moved to 2-0 on the year, and 1-0 in the Longs Peak League. The Niwot girls will be back at home against Riverdale Ridge on May 20, followed by Fort Morgan on May 22.