Battle Mountain girls soccer upsets No. 5 Palisade 3-1
The Bulldogs came into the game boasting a 7-0-1 record and were ranked fifth in the state's RPI rankings
Rex Keep/Courtesy photo
On paper, Thursday’s contest between No. 5 Palisade and No. 43 Battle Mountain “shouldn’t have been close,” Huskies coach Pete Petrovski said. The underdogs proved over the ensuing 80 minutes that RPI rankings don’t tell the whole story.
“I’m not too concerned about where we’re ranked currently,” Petrovski said. “I know how we can play and that’s the way we can play.”
On Thursday, the Huskies scored three first-half goals en route to a 3-1 win on their home turf in Edwards.
“I think we just wanted it more,” said senior Izze Borg, who notched two goals, including a 20-yard free kick goal to open the scoring 4 minutes and 12 seconds into the game.
Eleven minutes later, Alessandra Caballero gathered the ball inside the box and poked it with the front of her right foot to the left corner. Palisade keeper Brenae Snover dove, but the ball slipped past her outstretched arms and bounced off the post into the net for the 2-0 Husky lead.
Support Local Journalism
“I think a lot of us were nervous because we’ve never had a lead like that against a team like that before,” Caballero said of the mood within the huddle after shocking Palisade, which came into the game with a 7-0-1 record and defeated the Huskies 3-0 on March 30. “We’ve been working super hard these past few days because we knew that we were able to beat any of these teams that we play.”
Battle Mountain has also been healthier lately, Petrovski said.
“Over the last two weeks, I really feel like training has been really good, the girls are working really hard to get on the field and there’s internal competition for spots,” he said. “They’re playing at a higher level.”
With 36 seconds left in the first half, Borg delivered the play of the game. Thea Armistead’s pass bounced above Borg’s shoulder on the left side of the field near the 25-yard line. The senior wound up her right leg like a baseball bat before bending the ball perfectly inside the far post.
“Her IQ is incredible, her work ethic is unmatched — she’s such a skilled player,” Petrovski said of Borg. “So, anything she does on the field, I’m not surprised at all.”
The Bulldogs would score off a corner kick early in the second half, but goalie Elle Glendining and the Husky defense dominated the majority of the match. Mia De Villegas-Decker, who came into the night averaging 1.6 goals per game, was bottled up completely.
“We really had a concerted effort of making sure we weren’t going to let her turn,” Petrovski said, praising Alexis Wible and Ryan O’Connor for containing the Palisade star. “She’s a heck of a player. We played her tight at midfield and every time she got the ball, we weren’t going to let her come at us with speed.”
Want the news to come to you? Get the top stories in your inbox every morning. Sign up here: VailDaily.com/newsletter
Coming into Thursday’s game, only eight teams in 4A were undefeated. Now there’s seven. But Petrovski isn’t dwelling on numbers.
“The effort they’ve put in and the camaraderie they have — it’s a fun group to coach,” he said of his senior-laden squad.
“Looking at where the rankings are and all that — we’re going to play Eagle Valley, Denver East and Grand Junction next week — we can compete with all those teams.”
Borg and Caballero agree.
“I think it will give us confidence going on with the season,” Borg said.
“I think a lot of other teams doubted us because of how we started off our season,” Caballero added. “But I think we’re starting to prove ourselves again.”
