The Hawks finished the 2007 season with an overall record of 6-5-4, 3-3-2 in the conference.  That marks the first winning season for the Horizon Girls Soccer program in over five years and the third consecutive year that the team has improved their record from the previous campaign.  "This has been the best team I have ever coached, and I'm not talking about wins and loses.  The players have everthing a coach could ask for in a team.  They have character, they have heart, they care about each other, they care about the program, they wanted to get better, they are all very good students, and best of all they are all good people.  They're just a special group" commented Head Coach Cheryl Olson.  The season saw it's fair share of hard knocks, with senior keeper Megan Sullivan breaking her thumb a few days before the season began, senior co-captain Amy Clow tearing her ACL mid-way through the season, senior Denise Godette having to go the hospital after a car accident just a couple of hours before the Fort Collins game, among other emotional and difficult life circumstances for some of the players.  But it also gave the team opportunities to show their character and resilience.  Regardless of what happened off the field, the players on it played with heart, with belief, and without fear.  Sophomores: Devon Anderson was a first year letter winner who matured throughout the season and showed what a quality player she is, particularly in the last three or four games of the season.  Brianna Hagaman was a very good finisher this year, ending the season with 5 goals.  Sarah Winkler completed her second season on varsity, again starting every game for the Hawks and earning an All-Conference Honorable Mention designation.  Juniors: Caitlin Bird again was a solid defender who was often the unsung hero of an outstanding defensive unit.  Co-captain Jacque Delcamp, earning All-Conference Honorable Mention, was a consistent leader on and off the field, and finished with a flurry of goals and assists in the second half of the season.  Jillian Goble was a solid performer night in and night out on the wing and was a double threat, equally effective on defense and offense.  Co-captain JoEllen Keyser was the unquestioned leader of the defense, stepped in to a new role as sweeper, and excelled throughout the year - earning a 2nd Team All Conference designation.  Seniors: Amanda Aragon proved an effective left wing this season coming up with a couple clutch goals with her strong left foot.  Kelsey Clements, the "toughest player on the team", started every game as a marking defensive back and was a fierce, never-say-die competitor.  Co-captain Amy Clow was also a good leader, who went out on top, scoring a goal against rival Legacy before tearing her ACL later in the game.  Co-captain Sarah Garlock was at times a lock-down keeper who ended the year with four clean sheets.  Denise Godette, with 19 points, led the team in goals (7) and assists (12), was often the team's offensive catalyst, and as a result finished on the All-Conference 2nd Team.  Bobbie Harvey stepped in to play every position on defense, except goalie, from marking back to sweeper to stopper and did an excellent job with every role.  Courtney Larson was the team's target player up top, did a great job controlling the ball, and began the season with a hat trick at Arvada.  Megan Roybal played center-mid when needed, but really stepped up on the attack, often setting the pace with her all-out hustle and ball pressure, tying Delcamp for second on the leaderboard with 9 points.  Keeper Megan Sullivan bounced back from an early season thumb injury, scoring a couple of goals during that time, to have another solid season and added another shutout for her career tending the net.  Jessica Williams was the most improved player on the team, becoming a key contributor in the mid-field and used her great outside shot to score a hat trick in Horizon's final conference game of the year vs. Thornton.  The coaches and administration would like to extend their appreciation to the parents for their continued support of their players and the program.  We also want to wish the seniors all the best as they move on from Horizon - you will always be a part of the Horizon soccer family and we will miss you very much!!  Congratulations girls on an outstanding season - we're so proud of you!

Friday's season finale's score didn't end up in the Hawks favor but the team played like winners.  The Golden Demons went up with an early score off a corner kick, but senior Megan Roybal took her first free kick of the season, in the absence of Denise Godette who was off earning a soccer scholarship from Adams State, and absolutely buried the shot in the back of the net.  It looked as if that equalizer might last the half when Golden put a shot on the frame that looked as if it ricocheted off the crossbar and out.  As the players from both teams scrambled for the rebound, the whistle blew and a goal was signaled.  "I'm pretty sure the shot would have had to defy the laws of physics in order to make it in, but I'll have to double check with Mr. Taylor," joked Coach Stansbury when asked about the goal, "but seriously, that's just the way it goes sometimes and you have to roll with it.  That's simply something we can't control - it's part of the game just like anything else."  Instead of folding, the team took it as a challenge, and responded.  With 20 seconds remaining and the clock running, the Hawks earned a corner kick.  Junior captain Jacque Delcamp, aware of the situation, quickly set up the corner and sent the ball into the box, where Brianna Hagaman put a head on it and senior Amanda Aragon finished it off into the back of the net.  The final two seconds ticked off after the ensuing restart and the two teams went into half time with nothing between them.  Heading into the final minute of the game, the score was 3-3.  Horizon got on the board first in the second half when Megan Roybal, again on a free kick, placed a ball just over the defense and to an onrunning Jacque Delcamp, who put it away inside the far post.  Then Golden again evened the affair after one of the Demon strikers smashed a perfect shot just past the fingertips of diving senior goal keeper Megan Sullivan.  It was a shot that had to be perfect because Sullivan had it covered, but it was and the Demons tied the score.  Finally, with less than a minute remaining, Golden earned a corner kick and finished a goal to seal a win and end one of the most entertaining games of the year.  "Unfortunately, we didn't get the victory, but our girls played their hearts out and fought the whole time.  I'm so proud of the way they played this game and the season as a whole.  This result goes to Golden, and they played hard for it, but our team has no reason to hang their head because they left it all out on the field.  They should be proud of the way they played," commented Head Coach Cheryl Olson after the game.  That marks the end of the season for the Hawks, who improved their record for the third year in a row and recorded the first winning season they have seen in over 5 years.  Check back in a few days for the season recap and thanks for all the support you have shown us this season!

Yesterday's Parent Night victory against the Thornton Trojans gave the Hawks a .500 conference record and assured Horizon a winning overall record for the first time in over 5 years.  The Hawks scored early when Brianna Hagaman cleaned up a corner kick that bounced around in the mixer and Megan Roybal added another unassisted goal a few minutes later.  Jessica Williams also scored in the first half when she put away a nice pass from Megan Sullivan.  That would be the score going into halftime - the Hawks in control but still needing adjustments to be more effective.  In second period, Courtney Larson tallied her fourth and fifth scores of the season, the first off a corner kick from Denise Godette and the second by putting a shot upper left after stopper Sarah Winkler pushed a through pass to her.  Jessica Williams recorded a hat trick by adding another two to her first half goal.  Williams, on the recieving end of a beautiful pass from Jacque Delcamp, ripped a shot from the outside and later finished a penalty kick.  Denise Godette got in on the action with the final goal of the contest when she buried a pass from Jessica Williams, who beat her defender and carryied the ball down the right flank.  "When we executed the game plan, we got results.  It's about playing for each other and succeeding as a team and that's what we were able to do for a good portion of the game" stated Head Coach Cheryl Olson.  The Hawks will play their final match of the season this Friday, May 4th when they kick off at 7:30 pm against Golden High School at 5 Star Stadium.

The Horizon Lady Hawks went into yesterday’s game ready to play the undefeated Fort Collins Lambkins. And while the team didn’t expect to be without senior points leader Denise Godette (we’re thinking about you Denise and are relieved to hear you’re doing ok), everyone picked up their play and gave Fort Collins all they wanted. The Hawks went into the lightning delay, which ended up lasting about 45 minutes, and half time in a 0-0 tie. In the first half, the action was back and forth, with sophomore Sarah Winkler stepping into the center midfield position for the first time this year, junior Jacque Delcamp playing aggressively in the middle, junior Jillian Goble pushing the tempo on the outsides, and the defense playing as a strong unit. The second half was a different style of game, with the weather conditions playing a big part. “I think the wet field played to their strengths. Their attack is fast. In the first half on the dry field, we fought for the big punts, and got to their through balls. In the second half, the ball was really moving, particularly on the punts, and they were extremely difficult to judge off the first bounce. Their number 16 took advantage, put a lot of pressure on us, and they finished on the opportunities they got as a result. You have to give them credit. They turned up the heat when they had to,” observed Coach Stansbury. Those opportunities came on a penalty kick and on a set piece just outside the 18. The Lambkins pounded the PK through and the ball deflected off the Horizon wall and into the net on the second goal. The game concluded with a final score of 2-0, advantage Fort Collins. The loss takes the Hawks to 2-3-2 in conference with final conference opponent Thornton coming up on Tuesday. Horizon is 4-4-4 for the season with 3 total games remaining.

Horizon went into last night's match-up versus the Northglenn Norse confident that they would come out with a win. Perhaps they were a little too confident because it turned out to be more of a battle than the girls anticipated.  The Hawks got on the board quickly, off of goals by Jillian Goble (assisted by Jacque Delcamp) and Megan Roybal (assisted by Denise Godette), but allowed the Norse back in by not controlling the middle of the field and failing to win 50/50 balls.  Around the 25th minute, Jaque Delcamp scored on a header fed by Denise Godette, and Jessica Williams finished Horizon's first half tally by placing a penalty kick in the bottom right corner of the net.  Northglenn also scored on a penalty kick and added another off a corner.  In the second half, Horizon added another two goals, one from Denise Godette (who finished with one goal and three assists) and another from Jessica Williams - her second of the contest.  The Norse also tacked on another goal for a final score of 6-4 in Horizon's favor.  Coach Olson's thoughts on the game: "Obviously, a win is a win but, for whatever reason, we weren't in sync tonight.  We didn't play our game and we struggled defensively.  That's not Horizon soccer and we'll look to learn and rebound.  I'm not terribly concerned because our players are not the type to let down mentally.  I have confidence that it won't happen again and that the girls will come back more determined to play our style of soccer.  I think it was just one of those nights."  The Hawks will travel to Fort Collins today, Thursday, April 26th, for perhaps their most difficult match of the season when they take on state power Fort Collins.

Rocky Mountain topped Horizon Thursday night by a score of 2-1 despite a quality effort by the Lady Hawks.  Rocky Mountain's keeper came up big twice in the opening minutes, first with a diving save off the left foot of junior midfielder Jillian Goble after Goble beat two defenders.  The second great stop played off a Brianna Hagaman shot.  Their keeper dove to her right and secured the ball out of the air, saving the second of what could of been two early scores.  "She came up big in the first half and gave their defense a lot of confidence going forward.  Our girls put on good shots, but she was up to the task.  That's just the way it goes sometimes." said Stansbury after the game.  Rocky Mountain then got on the board first off a corner kick in about the 15th minute.  The Lobos had a plethora of opportunities coming from corners in the first half and were forcing the issue early.  But it was Horizon who would score next, when senior Denise Godette tallied her 3rd goal of the season.  Godette dropped one in from around 40 yards out taking the teams into half with a 1-1 tie.  The second half was a back and forth battle.  "They played a very good posession game.  We countered well.  I'm proud of the way our girls played," commented Head Coach Cheryl Olson.  It looked as if the game might go into overtime, but when the Hawks committed a foul just outside the 18, the Lobos' Allison Kenney blasted a shot past the wall and into the side of the net.  That proved to be the deciding goal and sent the Hawks home with the difficult task of having to finsih off their conference schedule undefeated - including a rivalry game against Northglenn on Tuesday, April 24th and a Thursday match up against state power Fort Collins.  Coach Olson:  "We're looking forward to the challenge.  One thing is for certain, we'll give it everything we've got."

Horizon went to Loveland yesterday in the second of three consecutive away games and came home with their first conference victory. Horizon rises to 3-2-4 for the season, including a 1-1-2 conference record. The Hawks started the afternoon with a flurry of unsuccessful scoring opportunities, but finally broke through when senior points leader Denise Godette got a break away on a through pass from fellow senior Courtney Larson. Godette patiently carried the ball into the box, waiting for the Loveland keeper to commit and placed the ball in the lower right corner. Horizon kept the pressure on when senior Megan Roybal also got a breakaway on the Loveland defense but was pulled down by the Indian sweeper. The foul resulted in a yellow card and gave Horizon a free kick just outside the 18. This time Denise smashed a shot on goal that was deflected by the Loveland keeper. However, junior captain Jacque Delcamp came flying in for the rebound and pounded a header right back into the net. And to finish the first half, senior Amanda Aragon blasted a 35 yard shot from the left, putting the Hawks up 3-0 going into halftime. That’s all the goals the game would see as Loveland really stepped it up in the second half. “We had a good first half and the girls deserve a lot of credit for that but we have yet to see a full 80 minutes from our team. I think we went into the second half ‘satisfied’ with our lead and to just play defense. We got the result we wanted and accomplished most of our goals for the game but we would have liked to come out harder in the second half and really finished the game strong,” Coach Stansbury said after the contest. Senior goalkeeper Megan Sullivan recorded her first clean sheet of the year with the help from a strong effort from the rest of the defensive unit. Horizon will travel to Fort Collins for a match against a tough Rocky Mountain squad on Thursday. The game will kick off at 7:30 at Fossil Ridge High School. Go Hawks!

Horizon traveled to Arvada to take on the six and two Standley Lake Gators last night and came home with their second victory of the season.  The win pulls the Hawks to .500 for the season, with a record of 2-2-4.  In the game, the Gators were able to get on the board first despite a lopsided number of opportunities favoring Horizon in the first 20 minutes of the game.  The girls responded, however, when sophomore Brianna Hagaman pressured the Gator sweeper, and got her foot on the ball, placing it just inside the right post.  It was her third goal of the season.  The Lady Hawks then scored their second goal of the half when Denise Godette placed a perfect ball to Jacque Delcamp off a set piece about 10 yards inside the midfield line.  Godette dropped the ball just over the Gator defense to a streaking Delcamp who sent the shot over the keeper and into the back of the net.  It was the junior captain's first score of the season and put the Hawks up 2-1 going into half-time.  The second half saw the Hawks come out flat.  Standley Lake took advantage of the mental let down and converted on a penalty kick after a hand ball in the box off a corner kick.  The score remained tied throughout the rest of regulation and first overtime.  The ladies rediscovered their aggressiveness in the overtimes and it paid off when senior Jess Williams launched a long shot that was eventually cleared by Standley Lake's defense.  But Junior Jillian Goble was attacking the ball and sent the clear right back and over the Gator keeper for the game winner.  "After all the ties we've had this season, it was good to get a victory in overtime." said Coach Olson.  The Hawks will continue their four game "road trip" this Tuesday when they travel to Loveland for a 5:30 match at Mountain View field.

The Horizon Hawks took on conference foe Monarch last night at 5-Star Stadium in what turned out to be a bruiser of a match.  There certainly is no love lost between these two teams, who battled to a 1-1 draw.  Monarch dominated the first half pushing the Hawks off the ball, winning and keeping possesion, out hustling, and out playing their opponents in almost every aspect of the game.  They took advantage of that dominance, by burying a shot in the upper left hand corner about 20 minutes into the game.  "It's not what we're accustomed to seeing from our team," said Coach Stansbury.  "It's rare that our adversaries comes out and seem to want it more than we do.  But during the first 40 minutes, that was the case.  It shows our heart because we could have given up after being dominated like that, but we found our center at half time and fought back in the second half."  A few minutes into the second half, senior midfielder Jessica Williams caried the ball down the right wing and earned a corner.  On the corner, she drove the ball through the box where Denise Godette settled and found Megan Roybal in front of the net.   Roybal beat her defender and then the Monarch keeper to record the game's equalizer and her first goal of the season.  The contest grew very physical after that, with the Hawks recording five yellow cards and one red card.  Head Coach Cheryl Olson after the game: "I was proud of how our team responded in the second half.  We showed up and played our game.  But those cards put us in difficult situations because it gave them opportunities to create something that wouldn't have been there otherwise.  It was a physical game but we have to learn to contain our emotions and play smarter.  Retaliation is never something that will help a team win.  So, except for the cards, we won the second half and it's something we can build on."  Like Coach said, for most of the second half, the Hawks controlled the tempo and created more opportunities than the Coyotes.  They dictated the game and showed that they can not only play with, but also outplay one of the better teams in the conference.  Our next match is at NAAC, where the Lady Hawks will take on Standley Lake - 4 pm kickoff.

Horizon came out fired up to beat rival Legacy Friday night and looked as though they would dominate the game.  Early in the first half, senior captain Amy Clow found the back of the net off a corner kick that bounced around in the box for the first goal of the contest.  "We came out very focused and our confidence was high after Amy scored.  You could tell our girls came to play,"  said Coach Olson.  But only a few minutes later, Clow changed direction trying to get back on defense, went down, and had to be carried off the field.  "It turns out that she tore her MCL, and possbily her ACL, on that play and could be out for the season.  I think that shook us up a little bit because our minds were on her and how she was doing.  It's so hard when a teammate goes down like that, particularly when it's one of your seniors," commented Stansbury after the game.  But the girls continued to play and went up 2-0, when junior midfielder Jillian Goble beat her defender in transition and put a shot past the Legacy goalkeeper.  The Lightning, however, weren't about to let a rivalry game go without a fight playing physical, aggressive soccer.  They came back about 10 minutes later to cut the lead in half off a corner kick and then tied the score on a top shelf rocket shot from about 25 yards out.  Coach Olson: "It was a great shot, one of those perfect strikes that we wanted prevent."  And that's how the game finished after two overtimes.  Kudos go out to Senior Denise Godette (normally a midfielder and striker), who played a great game, filling in at sweeper for JoEllen Keyser, who had to be out of town.  Horizon will play current conference leader Monarch at home tonight at 7:30.

The Lady Hawks suffered a very tough loss last night against the Poudre Impalas.  After tying the contest 1-1 with about 9 minutes left in the game on a Brianna Hagaman goal (assisted by Denise Godette) the Hawks put together several scoring opportunities.  In the eyes of most onlookers, Horizon played better as a team, bringing a higher level of intensity and focus.  But with 16 seconds remaining, the Impalas pushed in a goal off a baseline pass in the Horizon goal box.  "You have to give Poudre credit, they capatilized on our one lapse at the end of the game.  It's a hard loss, and we learn from it.  If there's one thing about these girls that I love, it's their heart, their resiliency - they'll learn from this and bounce back.  It's our first conference game and we know it's not going to get any easier.  We will move forward and focus on our next contest," said Head Coach Cheryl Olson.  There aren't many things harder in sport than playing like you wanted it more and not getting the result you were striving for.  However, that's a reality in sports and in life.  Success will only come with persistance and perserverence.  Coach Stansbury commented, "As disappointed as I am in the result of the match, I simply can't be disappointed in the effort our team put in.  We came to play, we came to compete and we just didn't get what we wanted to get in terms of the score.  If the game were scored on intensity and heart and desire and character, then we won 4-0."  The Hawks are now a third of the way through the season and most of the games remaining are conference matches.  The next game is this Friday, April 6th against rival Legacy.  Come out and support your Lady Hawks!

You're not looking at last year's stat line for Horizon vs. Lewis-Palmer, although it may look very familiar.  Just as they did last season, a double overtime effort by both squads ended in a 0-0 draw.  Senior co-captain Sarah Garlock chalked up her 3rd shutout of the season, recording a total of 12 saves, several of which were SportsCenter© Ultimate Highlight worthy.  Junior co-captain Jacque Delcamp and senior Denise Godette also put in strong efforts in the midfield, while the back defensive four (being dubbed by some as the "Pertinacious Petticoats") again strung together a scoreless ninety minutes.  "We were pleased with the spirit our team showed during the game.  It was a better showing than our last contest because most of our players left it on the field.  Hopefully this gives our girls another block on which to build and we can continue to better ourselves as the conference schedule approaches" said Assistant Coach Dave Stansbury.  The Lady Hawks will host Holy Family at 7:30 pm this coming Friday, March 23rd, at Five Star Stadium before going on Spring Break.

Horizon went to Lakewood Memorial Stadium on Friday and suffered their first loss of the season, by a score of 3 - 0.  The 3rd ranked Chatfield Chargers controlled the game from beginning to end, scoring two goals in the first half and adding another in the second.  Chatfield took advantage of their corner kick opportunities and kept the ball on Horizon's half.  "They were more aggressive, more assertive and wanted it more than we did.  It's not that we couldn't have played with them, we just didn't," said Coach Stansbury after the loss.  Head Coach Cheryl Olson added, "To be honest, I was surprised by how we played.  Chatfield is a very good team, but I thought we would come in and really battle - we seemed off.  The team just couldn't seem to get going in the first half.  It's something we'll have to work on."  Horizon will look to rebound when they go to Lewis Palmer on Tuesday, March 20th for a six o'clock kick off.  Last year, Horizon and Lewis Palmer drew to a tie after double overtime.

The Hawks hosted the Fairview Knights in a non-conference match-up last night at Five Star Stadium. The ladies came out hustling but looked as if the nerves of their first home game may have rattled them a bit, allowing the Knights to control the middle for much of the first half. “Our marking in the first half was a little soft. We let them have time and space to work their passing game, which resulted in us chasing and reacting instead of dictating play. We made some adjustments in the second half and the girls responded nicely. Of course, we would have liked to get another win, but you have to give Fairview credit. They were well-coached and played solid soccer” remarked Coach Olson. Horizon looked better in the second half, continuing their aggressive and tenacious play but despite several opportunities, couldn’t quite put one away. The game went into two overtimes, finally ending in 0-0 draw. Senior goal keeper, Sarah Garlock, recorded her second consecutive shutout, with the defense stepping up in a big way to keep the Knights out of the goal column. Juniors JoEllen Keyser and Caitlin Bird, along with senior Kelsey Clements and sophomore Sarah Winkler all had outstanding games, playing all 90 minutes and helping shut down the Fairview attack. Assistant coach, Dave Stansbury: “There were two things that really impressed me this game. First was how our captains led. Keyser, Delcamp, Garlock, and Clow led both with their actions and their words. And second was how hard most of our girls played – they never stopped fighting. Our girls were competitors tonight and for that they deserve respect.” The Hawks travel to Chatfield today to challenge the 3rd ranked Chargers in the tail end of a back-to-back.

The Lady Hawks visited Arvada yesterday in their 2007 season opener and rolled to a 10 - 0 victory, putting the mercy rule into effect 8 minutes into the second half.  The Hawks were led in scoring by seniors Denise Godette (1 goal, 2 assists) and Courtney Larson (3 goals).  Seven other players also opened their scoring accounts for the season.  Head coach Cheryl Olson commented, "It was a nice win to open the season, but it also showed us that we have a lot to work on as we move forward.  We have to support each other better and improve our possesion game.  There were times in the game where we looked great and times when we looked sloppy.  That's to be expected in the first game of the season, but it'll be very important to tighten up our schemes before Thursday's match against Fairview."  The Lady Hawks will host the Fairview Knights at 7:30 this Thursday, March 15th at Five Star Stadium.  The team also wishes seniors Jessica Williams, Megan Sullivan, and Bobbi Harvey a safe and enriching trip, as they join the rest of the Music Department on their trip to Ireland.  To follow the trip online, including blogs, pictures, etc., check out the following link: Ireland Trip.