Niwot High School boys soccer ends the season in quarter final loss

The Niwot High School boys soccer team started their week with a Wednesday matchup against the Skyline High School Falcons to advance to the quarter finals. Niwot went into the game as the 11th seed against the sixth-seeded Falcons.

Niwot was able to pull off a 4-2 upset victory over Skyline to advance to the Class 4A quarterfinals against third-ranked Battle Mountain High School, but the Cougars came up short in the Saturday, Nov. 4 game, which ended the Cougar's year in a 3-1 loss.

The Cougars came out strong against Skyline as they took a commanding 2-0 lead by halftime off of goals from Josh Ary and Josh Rodriguez. Niwot was challenged early in the second half as the Falcons were able to tie Niwot with two goals, including one off of a penalty kick. The Cougars rebounded to score on another goal from Ary, and closed the game out when Mohi Bauer was able to score another goal to seal the playoff victory.

Ary, who returned to the team after suffering a broken collarbone, led the team in goals with two as Rodriguez and Bauer each got one. Rodriguez and Ary were also able to get an assist alongside Bo Gardner and Jett Feiner. Malachi Gilmore played the whole game for Niwot in goal, making seven saves on nine shots, and allowing two goals. Gilmore was able to get a .777 save percentage to seal Niwot's win.

Niwot's next playoff game was on Saturday when they traveled to face the Battle Mountain Huskies for a spot in the semifinals. Niwot kept the game close, matching Battle Mountain's first goal when Xayden Del Rio scored to make the game 1-1 at the half. The Cougars weren't able to keep up with Battle Mountain in the second half, falling down 3-1, resulting in a season-ending loss.

Del Rio scored the lone goal for Niwot with Feiner assisting him. Gilmore played the whole game, getting 10 saves on 13 shots with a save percentage of .769.

Niwot ended the year with a 12-4-2 record, with a 2-1 record in the playoffs. The Cougars battled throughout the playoffs to secure a well-earned top-8 performance.