NHS girls soccer ends with a 6-8-1 record

The Niwot High School girls soccer season is over, and with a record of 6-8-1, they met expectations. Niwot had a long season, playing 15 games, winning their opener and their finale, but fell just short of making the playoffs.

Niwot's season opener was against Centaurus, with the Cougars winning 2-1 in a second overtime shootout, beginning the season with a hot start. The rest of the week did not go Niwot's way, as they fell to Palmer Ridge, a sign of their eventual slide.

The next two weeks Niwot was on break, and when they returned, the week began with a 4-1 loss to Palmer Ridge, followed by a 6-0 loss to Mead and a 3-0 loss to Silver Creek.

The next week Niwot got back in the win column against Severance, beating them 9-0 in dominating fashion. The following week did not go well as the Cougars lost to Riverdale Ridge, 5-2, and to Northridge, 2-0.

Niwot began its turnaround on the season by beating Fort Morgan, 10-0, and Frederick, 3-1. While the Cougars lost to Grand Junction Central, 3-1, Niwot's record improved from 2-7 to 4-8.

The Cougars closed out the season with a close 2-1 loss to Thompson Valley, then destroyed Roosevelt, 9-0, before tying Skyline 0-0 and finishing the season off with a 2-0 win against Mountain View. Niwot finished the season 6-8-1, going 5-3-1 against league teams.

Tiffany Yie and Martha McCarthy lead the team in goals, getting seven and eight goals, respectively. Yie led the team in assists, with five, and in points, with 19. McCarthy had 18 points and Mia Dumler's 14 followed.

Yie led the team in game winning goals, notching half of the team's winning goals with three. Mariah Fletemeyer led the team in goals against per game, 1.7 and saves per game, 3.7. Fletemeyer had four shutouts, leading the team alongside her 44 saves.

Coach Stephen Dimit talked fondly of his seniors, saying, "Tiffany Yie had a great year, capping off an outstanding career as a leader on this team. We were so proud of Sophia Guglielmi, as she bounced back from an injury last year to be one of the steady players who solidified our back line. Alex Boyer and Caroline Tusek also had comeback years, not finishing last season due to injury and returning to both be outstanding players for us.

"Mia Dumler, Martha McCarthy, and Kaia Johnson were such reliable players for us this year, stepping up to be role models for our younger players. Overall, this senior class provided a strong foundation for the team going forward, both in terms of soccer and in the positive culture they worked to build."

Awards for the season will be given next week, with the season starting back up next February.