Aggressive Rifle team edges Delta on the soccer field

Freshman Ciara Euler scores winning goal

Click to Enlarge Browse and Buy Post Independent Photos Rifle freshman Ciara Euler out jumps Delta High School’s Amy Loy for a header at Rifle High School. Euler scored two goals, including the game winner, to help the Bears to a 6-5 win over visiting Delta High School. Chad Spangler Post Independent

By Joelle Milholm
Glenwood Springs, CO Colorado
April 25, 2008

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Rifle head coach Mark Knighton resigns

On April 13, Rifle boys and girls head soccer coach Mark Knighton resigned his posts not only as a coach, but a teacher at the high school as well. Knighton had been an assistant for former head coach Tom Taucher for several years before taking over the head job this fall. Knighton turned in this resignation letter to the Re-2 School District: “It is with great sadness and regret that I offer my resignation from the Re-2 school district. I have enjoyed my time here and will cherish the friendships I have made over the years.” Knighton didn’t return messages left by the Post Independent about his resignation. Rifle athletic director Mike Green confirmed Knighton’s resignation. “All I can really tell you is that he resigned his position and that we have elevated Maggie Holdsworth to the head position,” Green said in an e-mail on Thursday. Holdsworth, a teacher in her eighth year at Rifle High School, was an assistant for Knighton this season before taking over the lead role.

RIFLE, Colorado — With the wind at their backs and a hearty appetite to attack the goal, the Rifle girls soccer team scored five first-half goals on its way to a 6-5 victory over Delta on Thursday.

Rifle took a commanding 5-0 lead in the first 40 minutes, but Delta didn’t give up, scoring two goals in the first five minutes of the second half and three more in the final 15 minutes. Luckily for Rifle, Chelsea Webb was able to get a corner kick to Ciara Euler who knocked the ball into the goal for what turned out to be the game winner at the 17-minute mark.

Caitlin Clay and Webb collaborated to start the Bears’ scoring frenzy with a goal seven minutes into the game. Euler pinned up the next goal using her head to hammer in a perfectly placed Webb corner kick at the 15-minute mark in a play that was much like the duo’s game winner.

Morgan Patrick instigated the next goal, getting a breakaway down the field two minutes later. Patrick drew out Panther keeper Tanesha Smith who made a block, but Clay gobbled up the rebound and fired it into the open net.

Clay almost netted another goal with eight minutes to play in the half, when she kicked a rocket that bounced off the crossbar. This time is was Webb who was all over the rebound as she got a foot on the ball and put the Bears up, 4-0. Three minutes later Webb used her speed to add the final goal of the half when she picked off a Smith goal kick and launched it over Smith’s head as she was retreating to defend the goal.

“We needed that for the second half,” said new Rifle head coach Maggie Holdsworth, who took over for former head coach Mark Knighton when he resigned on April 13. “They didn’t play as well in the second half, but they still played hard.”

Delta had the wind, which had died down a little, on its side in the second half and immediately took advantage. Stephanie Spor found Hannah Roberson 30 seconds into the frame to get the Panthers on the board. Four minutes later, Spor and Roberson hooked up again to cut Rifle’s lead to 5-2.

Fifteen scoreless minutes went by before Euler’s goal put the Bears up 6-2. Then Delta went on a scoring rampage to make things interesting. Roberson scored again on a Breann Sharr corner kick at 14:10; Spor found Samantha Fritzlan for a high looping goal at 12:40; and Spor scored on a breakaway at 2:02 to make it 6-5.

“We didn’t come out as hard in the second,” Webb said. “They definitely shouldn’t have scored five goals on us.”

Rifle had two chances to score after, with one shot going high and the other wide, before time ran out.

Rifle moved to 6-6-1 in the Class 4A Western Slope League and 6-7-1 overall while Delta dropped to 6-6-2 in the WSL and 7-7-2 overall. Both teams are fighting for the fourth and final playoff spot in league behind Battle Mountain (11-0), Glenwood Springs (8-2-1) and Steamboat Springs (8-3-1).

Rifle will host Battle Mountain on Saturday and then host Glenwood Springs on Wednesday in its regular season finale.

“If we get Glenwood, we’ve got a chance,” Webb said. “It will be a really good game, we always match up well against them. They’ve got some good players.”