Fossil Ridge girls soccer team falls to Heritage in Colorado 5A quarterfinals
The Fossil Ridge girls soccer team broke through one postseason barrier to reach the Colorado Class 5A quarterfinals but couldn't quite take the next step.
No. 10 Heritage scored a pair of goals midway through the second half and never let the second-seeded SaberCats back in it, ending their season with a 2-0 defeat Monday night at Randy Penn Stadium in Englewood.
The Eagles (12-2-3) pressured Fossil throughout the match, dominating possession and creating numerous scoring chances.
They finally broke through on Sophia Widdon's remarkable 35-yard shot that barely sailed over goalkeeper Shay Masters' outstretched arms in the 55th minute.
Heritage got the clincher 15 minutes later on Ezra Wright's low left-footed strike that just found the corner of the net.
The Eagles will face the winner of No. 3 Rock Canyon and No. 11 Castle View in a Wednesday semifinal.
The Heritage victory ended Fossil Ridge's 12-match unbeaten streak, which dated back to a March 30 loss to Cherry Creek.
After averaging over four goals per match in the regular season, Fossil Ridge's offense struggled in the 5A playoffs, scoring just three goals in three matches.
Fossil's only real scoring chances came on a few first-half breakaways and corner-kick opportunities that were promptly broken up.
For the SaberCats (13-2-2), this season saw postseason improvement in head coach Cyrus Salehi's first season but a disappointing finale.
Salehi took over the program after eight seasons as Liberty Common's boys head coach, which included a 2017 Class 3A state title.
Fossil Ridge made the quarterfinals for the first time since 2013, exorcising some "ghosts" in early-round wins over No. 30 Denver South and No. 18 Chaparral last week.
The SaberCats also swept their way to a city championship and took the Front Range League conference crown.
The program's outlook remains bright, with eight of the top 10 SaberCat point producers returning, including junior star Abby Ballek and her 25 goals this season.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado 5A soccer: Fossil Ridge falls to Heritage in quarterfinals
