After an exciting win over #13 seed Denver East in the state playoffs, Horizon headed to Arapahoe High School, home to the winningest girls soccer program in Colorado (9 state championships) and the fourth winningest program in the United States.  "They've got a great tradition, but we really felt like we could come in here and get a win.  We just didn't quite finish out on our execution.  The effort was there, the heart was there - they were just a better team today and they deserve the victory - we wish them luck in the next round.  I think the best part of this game for us was how we competed to the very end.  We never gave up, we never quit.  Our girls have every reason to hold their heads high and be proud of their play in the playoffs and this season" said Coach Olson after the game.  Saturday's contest began with the majority of the action in the middle of the field as both teams fought to gain control of the tempo.  Arapahoe struck in about the 20th minute when they got a breakaway on the outside.  They scored on a laser shot near post and took a 1-0 lead into half-time.  Despite more aggressive play in the second half, the Hawks couldn't quite penetrate the tough Warrior defense.  Junior defender Chelsey Petersen got off a shot that went just wide of the right corner and there were a couple more opportunities created by well-played sequences, but none that saw fruition.  On the other end, Arapahoe put a perfectly placed shot in the lower right corner by an onrunning midfielder and finished on a corner kick opportunity, taking a 3 goal to none lead to the end of the match.  Coach Stansbury: "In the end, it was a run that most people outside this program didn't see coming.  We had a difficult schedule this year and really grew a lot through the season.  Credit all the players, who really put in a lot of hard work to get to where we got."  Check back in a few days for the season recap.  Congratulations Hawks on a fantastic season!

Round one of the state playoffs had the Horizon Hawks matched up against #13 seed Denver East and the two teams met last night at 7 p.m. The Hawks went up in the first minute of the game when senior captain Jacque Delcamp scored on a 25 yard free kick. She put the ball just past the wall and on the inside of the post past the outstretched arm of the Angel goalkeeper. Despite being ahead, the Hawks looked like they were playing on their heels for most of the first half. Denver East pressured the offensive third and were awarded a penalty kick right around the 22nd minute. The Angels took advantage of the opportunity by converting the PK and tying the score at 1-1. Not until about 5 minutes remaining in the first half did it look like the Hawks got their playoff jitters out. But when they did, the momentum shifted almost immediately. "I think we put more pressure on their defense in the last five minutes of first half than we did the rest of the first half combined. We started to control the ball from the top down giving us possession and time to work opportunities around the field. It also gave our defense some time to breath so they were in a better position to defend, mark and spread the field" said Coach Stansbury. The Hawks continued to dictate play for a majority of the second half. However, the Angels of Denver East proved opportunistic, getting another penalty kick on an offensive attack in the 67th minute of the match. Again they finished the opportunity and took a 2-1 lead. "I didn't agree with the call, but it is what it is and we weren't about to give up. We've fought through adversity all season long against strong opponents. At that point we just had to push the attack. Obviously, it's not a position we like to be in because it's not in our original game plan, but soccer is a game where adjustments are necessary and we really didn't want this to be our last game. I'm proud of how hard we played, how we responded when our backs were to the wall, and how all our players contributed" commented Coach Olson on the bus ride home following the game. The final three and a half minutes saw just as much excitment as the rest of the game as both teams pushed hard to end the contest in regulation. The Hawks had several opportunities that were thwarted by a stingy Angel defense and the same was true when Denver East was attacking the Horizon end. Junior keeper Holly Loper made a game saving deflection on a high arcing shot in the final minute of the game. She got a hand on the ball that was traveling to the back corner and deflected it off the crossbar. The rest of the defense, led by senior JoEllen Keyser, made several key stops and clears as the final seconds ticked from the clock. The match headed into overtime locked up at two, with playoff bylaws declaring sudden victory to the first goal scorer. About five minutes into the first overtime, that chance came for the Hawks. Senior Caitlin Bird got a throw into junior Katie Clements who flicked the ball to freshman Molly Fischbach. Fischbach saw the run fellow freshman Alyssa Miller was making and sent the ball into the box. Miller streaked in, directed the ball into the back of the net with a well-timed header and the game was dramatically concluded in favor of Horizon. It was the sixth overtime game of the year for the Hawks, with lessons learned and a feeling of redemption from the previous five contributing to the victory in the latest. Horizon will meet #4 seed Arapahoe at Arapahoe this Saturday at 10 a.m.

The final regular season contest of 2008 at Holy Family High School ended at 1-0 in favor of the Hawks.  The only goal of the contest came in the 68th minute when Goalkeeper Holly Loper punted a ball just past midfield to an onrunning Jacque Delcamp.  Delcamp beat two defenders, corraled the ball and placed a shot past the oncoming Tiger goaltender.  "I think we looked past this team.  We had maybe 4 or 5 players who I felt came in ready to play, which made team play difficult.  Give Holy Family credit - they played hard and gave us a tough match.  Hopefully, this was just a momentary let down coming off the finish of conference play.  I'm confident our players will come to practice focused and ready to go" said Coach Olson after the game.  In addition to recording a rare assist (for a keeper) in the game, junior Holly Loper and the Hawk defense notched their 5th shutout of the season.  The win gives the Hawks a final regular season record of 7-4-4, which marks the 4th consecutive year with an improved overall record.  The girls await seeding for the state tournament, first round games of which will be held on Tuesday, May 6th and Wednesday, May 7th.

Horizon came out of last night's final conference match with a 9-0 victory and a third place finish in the Front Range Conference.  While the chances were aplenty, the scoring took some time to get started.  The first of senior Jillian Goble's two goals for the night in the 24th minute got the Hawks going.  The girls controlled the action throughout the half, and resulted in juniors Ciara Slayton (from JoEllen Keyser) and Katie Clements (from Brianne Elger) finishing their opportunities to take a 3-0 lead into halftime.  Horizon came out firing in the second half, creating chances by connecting passes and maintaining possesion.  In fact, the first six minutes of the second session saw the Hawks scoring four goals, all assisted.  In addition to the scorers above, freshman Molly Fischbach totalled three goals for her first hat trick, junior Kim Hoeben finished on a break away, and freshman Rachel Sheehan tallied her first varsity goal of the season - also on a break away.  Junior Brianna Hagaman led the catalysts with three assists, with freshman Alyssa Miller and junior Sarah Winkler adding one apiece.  The shutout was junior keeper Holly Loper's fourth clean sheet of the year.  "It's nice to finish where we did in league - the team has worked hard and I think it's good for them to get some credit on paper.  We'll enjoy the standings this morning, but put it behind us this afternoon for our game at Holy Family.  Again, while it's nice, now there are more important things to focus on moving into the playoffs" said Coach Stansbury.  Coach Olson added, "Now that conference play is over, our make-up game at Holy Family becomes our most important match of the season because it can still affect seeding for the state playoffs.  We have to bring our A game and continue to play tough, disciplined soccer."  The Hawks travel to Holy Family for a 4 p.m. contest today.  It will be the final regular season game of the year.

The Lady Hawks hadn't beat or tied a team from the Fort Collins area in over 5 years.  Friday night, they finished the third of three games against their northern nemeses with a 1-1 draw against the Lambkins of Fort Collins High School.  That made two ties and one loss (a 0-1 grinder against #6 ranked Rocky Mountain) for the year and optimism heading into the final week of the regular season.  Horizon went up on Fort Collins when in the ninth minute, freshman Molly Fischbach sent an early cross into the box to junior Ciara Slayton.  Slayton took the ball out of the air then put it into the back of the net for her 5th goal of the season and a clutch confidence builder for the Hawks.  The girls continued to pound the ball into the Lambkin zone, just missing several chances on the frame.  Fort Collins fought back, however, and tied the contest about midway through the first half with a solid counter attack taking the two teams into half time knotted up at one goal apiece.  The second half looked much like the first, with the momentum shifting between both teams several times throughout, and the defense for both teams coming up big.  Horizon junior goaltender Holly Loper made several well positioned saves to send the game into overtime.  In overtime, it was Fort Collins senior goaltender Andrea Burger's turn to shine.  She made two clutch saves in the last two minutes of the second overtime to preserve the tie for her side.  "Both teams played hard.  I liked the way our team showed up to play and we're expecting that to carry into this final week and hopefully, beyond" said Head Coach Cheryl Olson.  The Hawks will look to seal a playoff berth this Tuesday, April 29th, when they travel to 5 Star Stadium to take on the Thornton Trojans at 7:30 p.m.  It will be their final conference game and a pre-cursor to the season finale - a make-up game at Holy Family on Wednesday.

Horizon went into last night's affair with conference and district opponent Northglenn with just enough effort to come out with a victory.  The game started off slow without much action to speak of.  Not until about the 25th minute did the Hawks notch a score, which came from a nice shot just outside of the 18 from senior midfielder Jacque Delcamp.  Delcamp hit the upper left for her second goal of the season and what proved to be the game winner.  The remainder of the first half was relatively uneventful, producing little noteworthy efforts from the Hawks.  Coach Olson: "To be honest, I'm baffled.  We came out against Rocky Mountain with a fire and toughness that really impressed, but tonight we looked like a different team.  If I were a spectator and came to see us play for the first time, I would have not been impressed in the slightest.  We're a very, very good team but up to this point we still take games off.  The second half effort was much better than the first because at least we were attacking 50/50 balls and exerting ourselves a little.  We'll be looking to come out against Ft. Collins with more focus than we did tonight."  Follwing the intermission, it took the Hawks about ninety seconds to record their second and final score of the match.  The cushion in the final tally came when Caitlin Bird rifled a shot from 25 yards out and cleared the Northglenn keeper.  It was the senior defender and three year starter's first goal in high school varsity competition.  She gave credit to the unexpected and inspiring presence of AL, but the coaching staff contends it was good positioning and a solid strike on the ball.  The Hawks controlled the remainder of the second half of the contest a little more with energy coming from Jacque Delcamp.  Jacque won a majority of balls in the air and fought for everything in her general area.  This Friday, April 25th the Hawks look to sure up a playoff bid when they grapple with the Lambkins of Fort Collins at North Stadium - whistle blows at 7:30 pm. 

Conference leader and sixth ranked Rocky Mountain visited Horizon at 5 Star Stadium last night, edging the Hawks by a score of 1-0.  The only goal came in about the 15th minute when 5A leading scorer Kalie Vaughn broke through the right side of Horizon's defense and finished in the upper right hand corner.  The remainder of the game was a hard fought battle between both sides.  In the first half Horizon put together several quality scoring opportunities but couldn't quite find the back of the net.  Coach Olson commented: "Their goaltender came up with several acrobatic saves to keep her team out of the red.  They played well and you have to give them credit.  I thought we showed up tonight but couldn't quite finish our opportunities.  I've said it before, but it still applies: This makes our next match the most important match of our season so far.  We have to work hard in practice, come in focused and leave it all on the field so that we give ourselves the opportunity to come out with a victory."  The second half looked a lot like the first - very good soccer from both sides.  In the half, Horizon narrowly missed several more opportunities, including a couple of breakaways that the Lobo keeper did a great job of coming out to smother and a laser shot that hit the left post.  Rocky Mountain also had a number or opportunities that were either snuffed out by stingy defense from the Hawks (Keyser, Johnson, Bird, Elger, and Petersen) or solid saves from junior keeper Holly Loper.  "We've had a tough schedule.  I'm a numbers guy, so let me break it down this way: Our four losses are all to current top ten teams in the state and we've never been down more than one goal.  We have to keep in mind that if we continue to play well against top competition, we can only get better and that will pay off if and when we accomplish our goal of going to the state tournament," said Coach Stansbury.  The Hawks will travel to 5 Star Stadium on Tuesday, April 22nd to take on host, conference and district foe Northglenn at 6 pm.  It's a big match for the Lady Hawks, so come out and support your team!  See you there!

“An ugly win is better than a pretty loss,” were Athletic Director Pete Vargas’ words immediately following the 3-2 win last night against the Loveland Indians. Truer words could not have been spoken, and sometimes the truth hurts because the game last night was certainly ugly. Loveland got on the board first after keeper Holly Loper came out to smother a break-away. The Loveland striker put a good shot on target and the ball found the net before senior Brittany Johnson could get a clean foot on it for a clear. “I would say they stunned us, but I’m not sure that’s an accurate account of what happened. It would be one thing if we came out with energy and commitment and they got up on us, but we allowed them in the game and they took full advantage. That’s not what I would classify as a stunner” commented Coach Stansbury. Despite numerous scoring opportunities, it took Horizon about thirty minutes to get a goal. That goal came on a counter attack when junior Ciara Slayton got a little redirection touch to fellow junior striker Katie Clements. Clements controlled the ball and placed a shot past the diving Loveland keeper to even up the contest. The 1-1 tally would hold going into the second half. The Hawks went up when junior Sarah Winkler put a solid through ball to outside runner freshman Molly Fischbach. Fischbach took the pass to goal and put a near post shot in the back of the net. It looked like the team was getting back on track but a defensive breakdown gave the Indians another scoring opportunity and they blasted a left to right shot to even the score. The game was finally put to rest on a set piece 40 yards out from the Loveland net. Senior Brittany Johnson put a perfect ball into the box where junior Brianna Hagaman got a head on it and put the Hawks up for good. The remaining fifteen minutes played out without a goal and Horizon let out a sign of relief. Coach Olson had this to say: “We’re searching for our identity. We started the season working hard in practice and in games but we’ve somehow lost ourselves. One way or another we’ll bring this together.” The Hawks will host conference leader Rocky Mountain tomorrow at North Stadium with a 7:30 pm start time.

The Lady Hawks met non-conference foe Standley Lake this past Friday and came out with a 3-1 victory.  Horizon got on the board first when junior captain Sarah Winkler found Ciara Slayton in the box in the first half.  Slayton finished the opportunity for her fourth goal of the season - it was Winkler's first assist on the season.  "Our goal was to not be satisfied with a lead, to keep playing as if it were 0-0 regardless of the score.  I thought we came out somewhat slow and maybe underestimated them.  We did some good things with the ball, but we also saw some things off the ball that we need to work on.  The second half was better than the first."  Those were Coach Olson's comments.  The second half was better than the first and it saw Horizon score the ball one and a half minutes in.  Junior Brianna Hagaman got a pass into freshman forward Alyssa Miller (3 goals) who finessed a shot over the Standley Lake keeper.  The 2-0 lead wouldn't last for long, however, as the Gators worked a ball to the attack and got a break-away.  Senior defender JoEllen Keyser closed on the play making a goal saving tackle, but the Gators were awarded a penalty shot and made the most of it by converting in the lower left corner.  The Gators looked to gain some confidence from the goal and really started to pressure Horizon in the midfield.  The Hawks, however, would eventually regain control of the game and slam the door on the contest.  Again, it was Brianna Hagaman (6 assists) who worked the ball to Sarah Winkler.  Winkler blasted a 25 yarder for her third goal of the season and third Horizon goal of the game.  The team will look to continue their current run when they face conference opponent Loveland at 7:30 pm Tuesday, April 15th.  Coach Stansbury said of the game, "Loveland is an extremely important match for us.  We HAVE to come out ready to play, ready to compete, and ready to leave it all on the field.  There is no other other option."

Horizon got off to a quick start on Monday afternoon when they went to Monarch for their third conference match of the season.  In the second minute of the game, the Hawks worked the ball to the outside deep in the Coyote zone.  Senior Jillian Goble sent a line drive cross to on-running junior Brianna Hagaman who met the ball mid-air and placed the it into the back of the net for her third goal of the season.  "Clearly, it was a great way to start the game.  That's how any team wants to begin a match.  But we were disappointed with the next 60 minutes of play.  It looked like we got satisfied and, as a result, most of our girls looked sluggish until our backs were against the wall,"  said Coach Olson.  The Hawks and Coyotes would take the 1-0 tally into halftime after the remaining, and relatively uneventful, 38 minutes.  For the Hawks, the beginning of the second half looked much the same as the first, with players waiting for things to come to them instead of being aggressive and making things happen for the team.  Monarch looked more determined following the intermission and forced a number of corner kicks.  That determination payed off when the Coyotes evened the match on their fourth corner of the half.  With the score all square at 1-1, Horizon seemed to wake up a bit.  The effort level increased and players began fighting for balls again.  It looked as if the Hawks might see their third consecutive overtime contest but with about two minutes remaining, Horizon put together an attack that ultimately created an opportunity for freshman Molly Fischbach.  And as she has all season, Fischbach saw the crack in the door and kicked it open.  She blasted the shot past the Monarch keeper, giving the Hawks a 2-1 advantage.  Monarch fought hard for the last two minutes of the game, but it wouldn't be enough and Horizon would come away with the victory.  Coach Stansbury commented: "Overall, we were fortunate to come out with a win.  There were a couple of flashes of what we should be doing for the entire game - but in most games flashes won't be enough.  We've got to be more consistent.  Credit goes to those players who stepped up when we needed it and it definately was nice to come out of a close game on the winning end."  Horizon will see Standley Lake at North Stadium this Friday, April 11th at 6 pm before returning to conference play Tuesday against Loveland.

Horizon, Legacy rivalries always seem to bring out the best in both teams and last night each team's best was again equal to the other.  For the third year running, the Hawks and Lighting ended their match locked up in a draw, this year with one goal each.  It was the Lightning who got on the scoreboard first when Sadd Akimdale found Sarah Palizzi with a through ball and Palizzi finished the one-on-one opportunity.  That would be all the light Legacy would see, however, as the Hawk defense - again led by stellar marking from senior captain JoEllen Keyser and clutch saves by junior keeper Holly Loper.  "Credit goes to Holly and Jo - they certainly stood out and played phenominal games.  But we can't forget about the rest of the team, from the forwards to the middies to the defenders, who gave everything they had.  From players who played 80 minutes to those who played 2 minutes.  It's always a full team effort and everyone played their role tonight.  The team really wanted a win, but obviously so did Legacy.  Both teams played physical and hard and there just wasn't anything between them tonight" said Coach Stansbury after the game.  The equalizer came with about 15 minutes remaining in the first half when senior captain Jacque Delcamp played a ball swung from the defense to a streaking Molly Fischbach on the outside.  Fischbach beat her defender and the Lightning keeper to the ball and sealed the proverbial deal by putting the proverbial onion in the proverbial sack.  The contest continued to be a battle with players from both teams hammering away at each other, making plays and coming up big on defense.  "It was a physical game, a game that either team could have won.  The key for us moving forward is to remember that each game is as important as the one before.  This one has emotional significance because it's Legacy, but this match is over and we have work to do in our conference.  Our focus and intensity has to move to Monarch, who we see on Monday.  It's our next game, which means it's our most important game" pronounced head coach Cheryl Olson.  The contest versus the Coyotes will be at Monarch High School with varsity leading off at 4 p.m. this Monday, April 7th.

The Horizon Lady Hawks, riddled with injuries and sickness, went up to Poudre last night and came out with a 0-0 draw.  Down to three subs because of injury, sickness, and Spring Break (Devon Anderson - torn MCL & ruptured ACL in practice, Erin Chartier - stomach flu, Alyssa Miller - sprained ankle in practice, Ciara Slayton - in Florida, JV swing player Rachel Perkowski - severe headache from previous injury suffered during JV game), Kim Hoeben - broken wrist in the first half), the match had to be about hustle, heart, and team for the Hawks.  Coach Olson: "Given the circumstances of our roster for the contest, I think we played an exceptional game.  Players stepped up and gave everything they had.  Our defense played fantastic, with Holly Loper making clutch saves, JoEllen Keyser coming up with some huge stops, Brittany Johnson - back from Europe at 10 pm the night before - playing virtually mistake free, Jess Elger stepping up with some great tackles, Chelsey Petersen playing steady and solid, and Caitlin Bird fighting through stomach flu to make an impact.  Our midfield fought hard the entire game with limited subs - pushing through fatigue and cramping.  Our attack hustled and created opportunities.  Thats the kind of intensity and heart we need to bring to all our games.  I'm really proud of our team and, as long as we keep up this kind of effort, our season will be a successful one."  The game was a back and forth battle from whistle to whistle with neither team being able to quite finish on their opportunities.  Loper made four key diving saves throughout the game and the Hawks just missed on several scoring opportunities.  "It's a game of inches and we saw the downfalls and benefits to that tonight.  Both teams made there own luck by playing hard - it was a fun match," commented Coach Stansbury.  The Hawks finished the 2nd overtime with a flurry of shots and almost makes but couldn't quite shut the door.  "I thought we had it there at the end of regulation and at the end of the second overtime," said junior Sarah Winkler after the game.  Again, there's no rest for the weary as Horizon takes on arch rival Legacy this Thursday at 7:30 pm at North Stadium.

The Lady Hawks of soccer were on the wrong side of a 2-1 contest at Fairview High School last week.  While winds up to 40-50 mph were a psychological distraction, the gusts did not significantly affect the game's outcome.  Fairview took a 2-0 lead into half-time with strong passing, a good finish, and a fortunate break on an otherwise routine play with about one and half minutes remaining in the first half.  Horizon came out in the second half more determined and with better focus, which led to a strong finish from junior Ciara Slayton in the box.  Slayton brought in a pretty pass from freshman Molly Fischbach and smashed a shot past the Knight's keeper.  The two teams fought the wind and each other for the remainder of the afternoon, but with no goals between them, the game would end at 2-1 in favor of the Knights.  It was Horizon's third consecutive loss, but the coaches are convinced that the record doesn't tell the whole story.  "You know, we just haven't taken advantage of all our opportunities.  We've competed with everyone but haven't been able to get a result.  Hopefully, spring break will be good for us - it'll allow us to get healthy and take a psychological break from three tough games.  We're really looking forward to getting back on that horse and fighting for some wins.  It should be fun..." said head coach Coach Olson.  The Hawks will take on Poudre Tuesday, April 1st, at Fossil Ridge High School at 7:30.  It will be the first conference match for Horizon.

The Horizon Girls Soccer team lost 2-1 to Lewis-Palmer last night with 1:30 left in the second overtime.  It was another tough loss for the Hawks, but there's no time for them to dwell on it because this afternoon matches the girls up against Fairview before heading into Spring Break.  Last night's game was a 0-0 draw going into half-time, with each team playing a solid defensive game.  "We weren't as aggressive or focused as we could have been in that first half.  In the second half, we had some opportunities that we narrowly missed.  It's one of those stretches that we just have to keep in perspective.  If we keep our heads up and work on what we need to work on, we'll come out of it a stronger team," commented Coach Stansbury.  Lewis-Palmer got on the board first with some high pressure from their attack and midfield.  They gained possesion in the Horizon half and finished the shot about 8 minutes into the second session.  The Hawks responded when senior captain Jacque Delcamp connected with junior Ciara Slayton.  Slayton brought the ball down in the Ranger box and finished the shot from left to right.  The game headed into overtime and remained tied until alternating counter attacks left a Lewis Palmer midfield open about 5 or 6 yards outside the Horizon goal box.  She ripped a shot in the upper right corner past a diving Holly Loper and the game was done.  Coach Olson: "The last week has been a challenge on our girls mentally.  Instead of letting it get us down though, we need to use it as a motivator.  It's that simple." 

Initial reactions to the 2-1 result of Friday's game; disappointment.  The Hawks dominated the action for a majority of the game by maintaining possesion, winning 50/50 balls, pressuring the Chatfield defense with scoring opportunities, and simply outplaying the Chargers from 18 to 18.  Horizon's opportunities were to a ratio of about two to one, but it was the Chargers who scored first on a quality, well-struck shot from just inside the 18.  The Hawks continued to play hard, but would go into half-time down 1-0.  The second half was more of the same, Horizon controlling the ball for a majority of the session and creating multiple scoring opportunities.  The girls finally broke through when the defense and midfield worked the ball up to target player, junior Brianna Hagaman, who layed a beautiful ball towards the left corner flag to oncoming freshman Molly Fischbach.  Fischbach fought through her defender and put a curling shot towards the upper left corner.  The ball cleared the previously unscored upon Chatfield keeper, touched the inside of the far post, and continued to the back of the net.  It was Fischbach's third goal in as many games and she now leads the team in goals scored.  It was Hagaman's team leading fourth assist, putting her atop the teams points board.  The game remained knotted until about 25 minutes into the second half when a Chatfield player looked to have committed a handball violation that went unseen by the center official.  The ball played to her feet, she passed it along to an open teammate who scored on the open shot inside the Horizon goal box.  "We've had our share of bad breaks, but that's part of the game.  Our players responded well - they didn't dwell on it, they just kept playing hard.  It shows how much we continue to mature.  I'm proud of the way we played and I truly believe it was one of those instances where we didn't lose, we just ran out of time" said Coach Olson.  The game would end with a disappointing result, but the coaching staff left pleased with the effort.  The Lady Hawks will head into the upcoming week with 3 games scheduled in 4 days - at Holy Family on Monday, against Lewis-Palmer at North Stadium on Tuesday, and again away on Thursday - this time at Fairview.  Following will be Spring Break with the schedule resuming in conference play on Tuesday, April 1st against Poudre.

Horizon beat the Arvada Bulldogs 10-0 last night in a one-sided match to record their first victory of the season.  Junior Brianna Hagaman led in the stat book with 2 goals and 3 assists, all in the first half.  Senior Jacque Delcamp, limited in playing time because of an ongoing injury, pitched in with one goal.  Juniors Brianne Elger, 1 goal and 3 assists; Sarah Winkler, 2 goals; Ciara Slayton, 1 goal and 1 assist; Jess Elger, 1 goal; and Kim Hoeben, 1 assist all recorded their first points of the season.  Freshmen, Alyssa Miller, 1 goal and 2 assists; and Molly Fischbach, 1 goal also added to their season totals.  Despite the score, Coach Olson was not pleased with the first half performance: "That first 40 minutes was sloppy, lackluster soccer.  The intensity wasn't there, the desire to get better wasn't there, the execution wasn't there.  We basically beat them in a game of kick ball, which does nothing for us if we want to get better and compete at the level we are capable of.  The time we played in the second half was much better and that's what we'll build on for Friday's game against Chatfield.  I'm excited for the Chatfield game because I think our girls will be ready to come out and play a full 80 minutes."  The Lady Hawks went in to half-time with an 8-0 advantage and finsihed the game about 15 minutes into the second session on a pretty give and go between Jess Elger and Kim Hoeben.  "It's all good and fine for our girls to get some stats in, but outside of the stat sheet, we need to put in a much better effort.  I think we got about 15 minutes of decent soccer out of most of our players, which isn't good enough.  It's time we starting walking the walk.  I don't think this team has any idea how good they are and we've already seen improvement from the beginning of the season.  It's simply a matter of belief in self, hard work, and staying disciplined in our tactics," said Coach Stansbury.  The Hawks will meet Chatfield this Friday at North Stadium, 7 pm start time.  Come out and support your team!

In their first game of the season, the Horizon High School Girls Soccer Team wanted to come out quickly and dictate play and that's what they did.  It was maintaining the dictation that proved elusive.  When the whistle blew to begin play, the Hawks immediately executed the game plan - playing to feet, getting the ball to the outsides, and pressuring the ball all over the field.  In the 10th minute, that execution led to a ball down the right side of the field to freshman Molly Fischbach.  Fischbach took a touch to the inside to beat her defender, went to goal and buried the shot.  In the 25th minute, fellow freshman Alyssa Miller got in on the action off a cross from junior Devon Anderson.  Again, the Hawks got the ball to the outside, creating space and opportunity in the middle.  Miller took the cross and put a shot on goal that deflected off the Golden keeper and rolled to the back of the net.  With about five minutes remaining in the first session, the Demons cut the advantage in half when midfielder DiGiacomo dribbled through the Hawk defense and put a shot out of the reach of goalkeeper Holly Loper.  In the second half, Golden became the aggressor, controlling the middle by winning virtually all the 50/50 balls.  Horizon hung tough, but a mental lapse cost the Hawks the result.  On a ball played through from about 35 yards out, the defense stopped, thinking action was going to be blown dead because of an offsides striker.  "Golden's stiker did exactly what she was supposed to do.  She recognized that she was coming to the ball from an offsides position, so took herself out of the play.  Their remaining offensive players were running on to the ball from an onsides position, but our defense didn't play to the whistle and went on an assumption.  It's a frustrating goal to give up because our players know to the play to the whistle.  It's a mistake we won't make again.  On the upside, if we needed that lesson to be learned, it's to our benefit that it came in the first game of the season," commented Coach Stansbury.  The score would remain 2-2 through two overtimes behind a strong effort from junior goalkeeper Holly Loper who came up with several big saves down the stretch.  Coach Olson: "We saw some good things tonight.  At times, our offense looked really good.  Our midfielders and strikers were playing balls that gave us opportunities to score and our defense bounced back when they could have folded.  It was an up and down game that gave us some good input on what we need to tighten up.  All in all, I liked the way our girls played and if we continue to work hard in practice, our consistency will improve and we'll only get better."  The next contest will be against Arvada at 7:30 pm this upcoming Tuesday, March 11th at North Stadium.

The Horizon Lady Hawks soccer team begins their season on Thursday against last year's final opponent, the Golden Demons, with their first game in their new home, North Stadium - 7 p.m. start time.  This season's squad includes 8 returning letter winners:  Seniors - Caitlin Bird, Jacque Delcamp, Jillian Goble, *Brittany Johnson, and JoEllen Keyser.  And Juniors - Devon Anderson, Brianna Hagaman, and Sarah Winkler.  The 2008 roster will also begin the season with senior Alexa Kothlow, juniors Erin Chartier, Brianne Elger, Jessica Elger, Kim Hoeben, Holly Loper, Chelsey Petersen, and Ciara Slayton; and freshmen Molly Fischbach and Alyssa Miller.  The Hawks will be looking to improve on last year's 6-5-4 record and expect to compete for one of the Front Range Conference's playoff spots.  This will be Cheryl Olson's 5th season as Head Coach.

*lettered Sophomore year