COMMERCE CITY >> Nearly a “Perfect 10” kind of day for Broomfield.

Style points to state championships, the Eagles were just minutes away from adding to their state-leading nine titles in boys soccer on Saturday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. A lead late into regulation against Cherry Creek had been built on a goal bred from an unselfish approach and held — for a long while — thanks to another masterful performance from their goalkeeper, Evan Kulstad.

A whistle changed everything. The Bruins drew a foul in the box and converted the PK with 7:45 left in the second half, forcing overtime. There, Cole Wearner finished a pass from his brother Reed to send Cherry Creek to a 2-1 win for its first title since 2010 and seventh overall.

“Obviously right now, it’s incredibly disappointing. I feel like the boys —,” Broomfield coach Zachary Hindman said before taking a pause. “It’s disappointing right now.”

The defending champs were left devastated following the 93rd-minute winner. As the Wearner brothers produced a hit, they fell to the pitch in agony.

Cherry Creek’s hero, Cole Wearner, tossed his jersey aside and was mobbed in celebration after his goal with 2:52 left in the extra period.

The moments afterward, the senior looked as if he was awaiting a pro-style champagne shower — well, maybe sparkling apple cider in his case. He also signed autographs for some young kids and posed for pictures. All of it was next to his brother Reed, who’d sent a perfect ball into the box for the winning assist.“Any win would have been perfect, but it’s great that it went from one brother to another,” said Reed as his brother Cole continued to be mobbed by adoring fans. “It’s even more perfect.”

Meanwhile, the finish was anything but for Broomfield (16-3-1).

Not long before, the Eagles were in the driver’s seat to win their sixth 5A title in 11 years.

In the 44th, they went ahead as Hayes Baucom gave up a good look to feed Adam Thresher for a better one.

It was the kind of unselfish play Broomfield loves. Baucom caught up to a through ball and got a step on the defense, entering the box from the left. That forced Cherry Creek goalkeeper Sullivan Arledge to push up and contest, leaving Thresher, trailing a few steps behind, with an open net in front of him.

The cross in the box was pure and Thresher finished, giving him a goal in four of the Eagles’ five postseason games this fall.

“We all play for each other. We’re a band of brothers,” Thresher said. “At the end of the day, we want to win for the person to our right and the person to our left. But sometimes that doesn’t happen. Like today.”

Up until 7:45 remaining, Cherry Creek (18-1-1) couldn’t solve Kulstad. The senior keeper was superb as he jumped and dove, time and time again turning the Bruins away. When Owen Lamphear drew a penalty in the box, they finally found their opening.

Austin Hall scored the ensuing penalty kick: he went to his right and away from Kulstad, who guessed wrong, sprawling out the other way. Cole Wearner finished things, taking his brother’s pass off his chest in the box before deking a defender and hitting the top of the net.

“It really does hurt,” Kulstad said. “We see each other put the work in every day. We see each other staying after practice. It sucks.”

Broomfield had won its past three title game appearances, dating back to 2016 when it lost to Boulder in a shootout.

Getting back for a second-straight year, the third-ranked Eagles slid a bit under the radar due to the Panthers’ undefeated run and Northfield’s dominance in its first year in 5A. But along they went, winning the 5A Granite Peaks League and their ninth-straight game in the playoffs coming into Saturday.

They beat No. 2 Boulder in the semifinals, while fourth-ranked Cherry Creek beat No. 1 Northfield.

“When we look back on the season as a whole, we’ll be proud of it,” Hindman said.

“But in the moment, right now, it’s really hard.”

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