‘Ghosts to get rid of’: Fossil Ridge soccer team makes quarterfinals for first time since 2013
The message in the pregame huddle was clear and concise.
“We’ve waited all season for this moment,” was the cry from captain McKenna Garrett.
Friday was all about chasing demons away for the Fossil Ridge girls soccer team.
Playoff failures have haunted the always talented but seemingly underachieving SaberCats.
The core of this group felt it painfully when they were a No. 1 seed last season and were toppled by No. 17 Rock Canyon in the second round of the playoffs.
It was just the latest in a long line of letdowns.
Not Friday. This squad is here to bust down walls.
Fossil Ridge, the No. 2 seed in the Class 5A playoffs, scored early on then locked down on defense in Friday’s 1-0 second-round win over No. 18 Chaparral.
“They were confident before the game started,” Fossil Ridge coach Cyrus Salehi said. “They were hungry and, as you saw, we started strong and then we played a defensive game and shut them down.”
The goal came when Anna Rogers raced in to slam home a rebound off an Abby Ballek free kick. The defensive effort and goalkeeper Shaleigh Masters (five saves) made that goal count.
But this was about so much more than one playoff win.
“We had ghosts to get rid of,” said Salehi, who is in his first year as Fossil Ridge’s coach.
Fossil Ridge is perpetually talented but underachieving and Salehi said his first goal was to change the mindset.
This win puts Fossil Ridge into the quarterfinals for the first time since 2013 (when the SaberCats made the semis). In the last 10 years there’s a long line of early playoff defeats. Twice the SaberCats as a No. 1 lost in the second round to a No. 17 (2014 and 2023). From 2017-19 they lost in the second round each season.
“The first thing we needed to do was change the culture and mindset of here. They believed. They bought in and they’ve done something that hasn’t been done in a long time,” Salehi said.
When the streak of early playoff exits started these players were young children. But as the years stacked, so did the history and the early exit as a No. 1 a year ago helped lead to the team on the field now.
“What wins is culture. What wins is playing for the girls next to you. What wins is selfless, no ego soccer,” Salehi said. “I’m so proud of these girls.”
Now, for the first time since 2013, the SaberCats have a quarterfinal game to play. Fossil Ridge will face No. 10 Heritage at 5 p.m. Monday, May 13 at Englewood High School. Winner goes to the semifinal on May 15.
“This is just the beginning,” Salehi said.
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on X and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fossil Ridge soccer makes Colorado state tournament quarterfinals
