The Roaring Fork Rams used a dominant second half to defeat the Coal Ridge Titans 3-0 in a hard-fought varsity girls soccer match Tuesday afternoon at Roaring Fork High School.

After a scoreless first half, Roaring Fork found its rhythm and netted three goals in the final 40 minutes. Sophomore attacker Riley Bevington scored twice late in the second half to secure the win for the Rams.

“We try to build a community for our program,” Rams head coach Nicole Cruz said after the game. “It starts off the field, and it relies on making sure we set ourselves accountable. Communication and eye contact are very important.”

The Western Slope rivalry game was tight throughout, even after Roaring Fork took a 2-0 lead late in the second half. The familiarity between the two teams left the score knotted at zero after 40 minutes of play. 

The Rams broke through 10 minutes into the second half. A deflection slipped past the Coal Ridge defense, and Bevington outran the back line to slot the ball past the Titans goalkeeper with the outside of her right foot.

The goal didn’t dissuade the Titans, as they immediately put their nose back on the grindstone. The second half was tough and physical, and the Rams didn’t put it out of reach until 10 minutes remained in the game. Rams senior Erica Crownhart put a long shot on net that softly bounced into the back of the net as desperation time began to approach. The Rams found their third goal with just 30 seconds remaining in the game. 

“I’m so proud of the way the girls fought,” Cruz said after the win. “Seeing them sprint to set up one more corner kick with 30 seconds left is a great sight to see, it just gives us more reps. We have a very big weekend coming up and every rep is going to count.”

Roaring Fork improved to 5-3-3 and 3-1-1 in league play after Tuesday’s home victory, tied with its next opponent. The Rams will host two key matchups this week — against the 6-3-1 Aspen Skiers on Thursday and the 7-2 Mead Mavericks on Friday — both with playoff implications.

“We had a lot of shots in the first half that missed just wide of the net,” Cruz said. “Our next practices are going to be focused on hitting the frame because hopefully next week, we’re pushing to playoffs.”

The loss snapped a three-game road winning streak for Coal Ridge, who drops to 5-8 overall and 2-4 in league play. The Titans will return to action Wednesday, April 29, when they host I-70 rival Rifle.