Niwot girls soccer eyeing final push

Needing a bounce-back week, the Niwot girls soccer team showed flashes of strong play but could not find the results they sought.

On Tuesday, April 22, Niwot traveled to Holy Family High School and battled hard in a tight 2-1 loss. After a scoreless first half, the Cougars broke through in the 43rd minute when sophomore Diya Mehta found the back of the net off a clean assist from sophomore Hannah Wurth.

The Tigers answered back quickly, tying the match with 30 minutes left and later scored the game-winner with just six minutes remaining. Despite the final score, the Cougars had stretches of strong play and kept the pressure on until the final whistle.

Back home two days later, Niwot faced Centaurus High School in a physical, back-and-forth match that was closer than the scoreboard showed.

Both teams created chances early, and the Cougars showed good movement through the midfield. Sophomore Mirjam Bos set up a great look for Mehta in the first half, but the shot just missed over the bar. Junior goalkeeper Mariah Fletemeyer came up with several big saves to keep the match scoreless heading into halftime.

Centaurus eventually broke through in the second half, scoring goals with 25, 13, and four minutes left in the game to pull away for a 3-0 win. Niwot stayed aggressive until the end, creating some dangerous opportunities, but could not find the back of the net.

Now sitting at 4-8-1, the Cougars are heading into their final week. They travel to Frederick High School on Tuesday, April 29, to take on the Golden Eagles, who enter the week 2-10-1.

Then on Thursday, May 1, Niwot will host Mead High School for the senior night game. The Mavericks come into the week at 9-2, setting up one of the biggest matches of the season under the lights at the Art Stapp Sports Complex at Niwot High School.