Silver Creek eliminated by the narrowest of margins in semis

PREP BOYS SOCCER CLASS 4A STATE PLAYOFFS

William Dumbauld chases down a free ball during Silver Creek’s Class 4A state semifinal game against Mullen on Wednesday night at Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood. PHOTOS BY BOBBY REYES — FOR BOCOPREPS.COM

Silver Creek’s Dylan Valenzuela, left, dribbles up the field during the first half of the Class 4A state semifinal against Mullen on Wednesday night in Lakewood.

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By Bobby Reyes

For BoCoPreps.com

LAKEWOOD >> Aris Lindquist sat on the turf field with his head down.

The Silver Creek senior had captained the Raptors’ boys soccer team for the last time, and the moment with all its finalities was not lost to him.

He wasn’t alone.

The word dejected most accurately described the scene.

Lindquist’s teammates were scattered across the green field with white jerseys enduring varying levels of despair.

Most sat on the turf, while some simply leaned over, hands on knees staring at it, defeated.

The game clock had just hit zero, and scoreboard read 1-0 at Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood.

Class 4A’s No. 5-seeded Silver Creek (12-3-3) had just been bounced out of the state playoffs by No. 1 Mullen (15-2-2), one game shy of reaching the state finals.

“It’s not how I wanted it to end at all,” Lindquist admitted. His honest words came through the rough, raw emotions of this new reality. “We endured a lot of adversity this year. Every game was a grind.”

True to his statement, Silver Creek’s semifinal matchup went scoreless for just over 62 minutes.

The Raptors were riding a 10-game unbeaten streak, though Mullen came into the game with an impressive seven-game win streak of its own.

The opening half was a battle of possession, with neither team able to establish dominance of the other.

William Dumbauld led the attack for the Raptors, though Mullen turned up the heat in the final minutes of the first half and forced the Silver Creek defense to come up clutch.

Silver Creek and Mullen were locked at 0-0 at the half, though the ensuing 40 minutes of play would inevitably separate the two teams, and send one of the state finals.

The second half became a display of Silver Creek’s sheer skill verses Mullen’s speed.

With the clock ticking onwards into the final 18 minutes of the game, Mullen scored with bodies falling all over the box, and no whistle.

1-0.

So, the Raptors went to work, trying to claw themselves back into the semifinal matchup.

As the clock ticked downward, Silver Creek threw everything it had at Mullen, but the top-seeded Mustangs never relinquished the pressure.

The ball spent more time soaring through the black night sky than on the ground in the final minutes as both squads desperately tried to impose their will on the outcome of the game.

But in the end, time ran out.

The sun had set on the Raptors season.

“We carried ourselves one game at a time, one play at a time,” Lindquist said, trying to find the words to encompass the feeling. “We put so much into it, so much hope. Tonight was not our night.”