Quick shot: Early goal lifts Niwot in first round of Class 4A playoffs

If you weren't in your seat when the horn sounded to start Niwot's game against Regis-Groff (9-7) in the first round of the Class 4A soccer playoffs, then you probably missed all of the scoring. Just seconds into the Oct. 28th game, senior forward Azael Marrufo took a kick-off pass from Mason Wright and sent it past the Fusion's keeper, giving the 19th-seeded Cougars a 1-0 lead before many spectators realized what was happening.

"It was amazing," Maruffo said of the game-winning goal, his fourth of the year. "I just saw the ball, and the defender trying to clear it, and I just came up and put it in the back of the net. It was pretty quick, and we weren't expecting it."

But that was far from the end of the action. During the next 79 minutes, 42 seconds, the two familiar postseason foes battled in a thrilling back-and-forth that had spectators on edge until the final buzzer. Despite a boost from the early score, Niwot surrendered the offensive momentum to Regis Groff in the first half, and the Fusion defenders did a good job of tamping down the Cougars' attack. Niwot's lead seemed more precarious as the clock ticked towards halftime, and, more than once, it took aggressive play from keeper Matthew Hansen to keep it safe.

"Our plan was to try to control the tempo of the game, and wear them down," head coach Stephen Dimit said. "Instead, we scored super early, the earliest we've scored in years. It was not the way we planned it, but the guys adapted pretty well when things drifted."

Niwot's offense came back to life after the break, once Dimit and his team decided to ditch the game plan for good. The Cougars had chances from Marrufo, and his senior teammates Jake Elston and Finlay Burns. But keeping the lead was more of a priority than building on it as time drew short, the coach said.

"We decided to double down on defending the game, and just asked the guys to stand strong, and maybe try to get one on a counter. The guys adjusted well, and I'm really proud of them."

(See more photos from Niwot's first round playoff win here.)

It was Niwot's third win over Regis Groff in three straight postseason match-ups, and definitely the hardest, according to Dimit.

"It's ridiculously hard to beat a team three times, and they've gotten consistently better as well," he said. "They play good soccer. They're well coached. I'm excited for that game when it comes up, because it's a hard fought game and there's a lot of pride in it now."

With the win, Niwot moves on to round two, where they face No. 3 seed The Classical Academy (15-1) in Colorado Springs. Dimit is hoping to see more scoring from his offense, and has high hopes for sophomore forwards Jett Feiner and Miles Verbeck.

"We have to possess the ball," he said. "We just didn't spend a lot of time on it tonight. We're really good at getting the ball into the box, but we do need to keep working on our finishing. It looks good and training, but we're still getting there. We've got a lot of young guys who I think have the potential to break out next week. So that's exciting."