Niwot's run at state title ends in semifinals

Niwot's quest for a 4A boys soccer state title came to an abrupt end on April 28, at the hands of the eventual champions, the Windsor Wizards.

The Cougars' defense didn't have an answer for Windsor senior John Burnett who scored both Wizards' goals in their 2-1 victory. Niwot senior Keegan Stobbe netted the Cougars' lone goal in their lowest offensive output since a March 20 loss to Skyview.

Despite the outcome, there was a lot to be proud of this season for head coach Stephen Dimit. In addition to a perfect 9-0 record in the 4A/3A Longs Peak League, the Cougars appeared in their first state semifinal game since 2017

"I'm just so proud of these guys," Dimit said. "It's hard to comprehend where we were just a few months ago, barred from practice. To make the semifinal game in a year like this, my hat is off to these guys."

On the big stage of Aurora's Legacy Stadium, Burnett opened the scoring by converting a penalty kick at the 27:15 mark in the first half. In a physical game on both sides, Windsor returned the favor less than five minutes later, allowing Niwot a free shot on goal. Stobbe cut in front of the shot and redirected it just enough to tie the game at one.

A punch of adversity hit Niwot with just under 15 minutes remaining in the first half when Niwot's leading scorer, junior Azael Marrufo, injured his left leg. He would miss the rest of the game.

"We have a lot of great attackers, but he (Marrufo) completes the deal," Dimit said. "We definitely missed him today. We had some guys stepping in and doing an admirable job filling in for him but to not have Aza is a little bit of a game changer for us."

The game remained tied for most of the second half thanks to Niwot sophomore goalkeeper Javier Amaya. Windsor controlled possession for the majority of the second half but Amaya held stout with a season-high seven saves.

But as the clock ticked under seven minutes, Niwot's wall cracked as Burnett bagged his second goal of the game. Windsor's defense held off a panic of Niwot attempts down the stretch to secure a state championship game berth.

Dimit credited Windsor's strength for causing the Cougars trouble.

"We knew it would be speed versus strength, because we knew they're just bigger than us," Dimit said. "We got a few guys that are about that size but that's a big team, it's an experienced team. Eventually that style wore us down a little bit today."

After scoring in Niwot's two previous playoff games, senior Ismael Dominguez wasn't given much space to work with. He leaves his time at Niwot with 15 career goals in three seasons.

In total, Niwot's eight seniors contributed 45 of the team's 68 goals on the year. Along with Stobbe and Dominguez, seniors Aidan Martin, Connor Grant, Ashton Campie, Tavan Karbassi, Carter Cruse and Maia Heather played in their final high school game.