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Senior night ended with wins from both varsity and JV after both teams got shutouts against Boulder High School on Thursday, May 4, at Fossil Ridge High School. Varsity captains, Bella Alessi and Mckenna Schultz, along with three other varsity players – Taylor Caminada, Cassidy Hoyt and Shannon Pelochowski had to say goodbye to Fossil soccer. It was an emotional night full of suspense, hard goodbyes and an outstanding win.

Junior varsity played first and had a successful first half, scoring five goals and letting none in. JV played very well with help from Ashley Soulier, a varsity player, who played down before she played in her own game. The second half was intense as JV had numerous shots on net but couldn’t score, and kept Boulder out of their defensive half for almost the entire game. The game ended with a final score of 5-0, a shutout for Fossil.

Varsity and JV players formed a tunnel to honor the seniors before varsity’s game began and applauded them for their dedication and commitment during their time at Fossil. Senior players’ families were waiting at the end of the tunnel to congratulate their daughters on their high school soccer careers. Each senior player was awarded a t-shirt and bouquet of flowers. After all the seniors had walked through the tunnel and hugged their families, the players said goodbye to each other. Emotions ran high for every player before they took the field.

Varsity started their game off strong as the girls had a determination to win after coming off of two losses, which were the only losses Fossil had all season. It was Julie Brey who scored the first goal of the game, and set the tone for the first half. The Sabercats dominated the Panthers all half with Kylie Metcalf scoring the second goal of the game. There were only 43 seconds left on the clock when a Boulder player collided with goalkeeper Victoria Graham, knocking both girls down. Boulder was awarded a penalty kick. While the Boulder player was fine Fossil’s keeper had to be walked off the field and jv goal keeper Emily Vangundy stepped in for the penalty kick. In those final seconds Vangundy saved the PK from off the bench. An amazing end to the half with a score of 2-0, leaving Fossil in the lead.

Vangundy was still in goal as Graham was out for the rest of the game after the collision. Fossil went in strong with numerous shots on net but unfortunately couldn’t put any in the net. The Panthers played aggressively and their offensive line took numerous shots, all which Vangundy saved. Many JV players had a chance to play in the game – two of those players, Ava Haus and Kylie almost scored. However it was Metcalf who scored the third and final goal of the game. The final score was 3-0; Fossil finally got redemption for those two losses the week before.

The girls will play at home on Friday, May 5 against Broomfield High School. JV plays at 5 on the North Grass and varsity plays at 5 on the turf. Make sure to support the girls in their last home game of the season!