Rams continue strong start, put 10 past Oysters

The Roaring Fork Rams extended their unbeaten record on Tuesday afternoon with an authoritative 10-0 victory over their local rivals at Colorado Rocky Mountain School (CRMS).

Though the 4pm kickoff time made for a sparse crowd initially, the sidelines quickly filled up with fans of both teams. The opening phases of the game saw the Rams’ midfield take firm control of the game, but rather than going for a knockout punch immediately, they made conscious efforts to establish a rhythm with their possession.

“Our goal was to come out and play the way we want to play against any team,” said Roaring Fork head coach Nick Forbes, “which is to set patterns, set formations, get in a groove, start passing the ball.” It did not take long for the control to turn into goals. In the seventh minute, senior Josh Hernandez collected a clever pass inside the box and finished calmly past CRMS goalkeeper Rodrigo Quiroga to open the scoring.

The Oysters countered with forays down the left wing from seniors Pearse Stainton and Malcolm Wang, but the Rams back four — Bennett Jardine, Gabriel Salas, Yusbani Duarte and Sam Brennan — looked well equipped to deal with anything that CRMS could throw at them. In the 15th minute, senior José Canas ran through on the right side, sauntered past a few defenders, and put the ball on a platter for fellow senior Fernando Rodrigues to finish from close range.

At the 20 minute mark, Coach Forbes brought on senior Yandel Silva, who stung the post with a shot seconds after stepping onto the field. He made amends a few minutes later with a short range goal to make the score 3-0. Senior Jeffrey Candela then took advantage of a tired CRMS defense with two goals and a cross that forced an own goal, giving the Rams a 6-0 lead as the half time whistle sounded.

The second half gave the Rams a chance to show their depth, particularly in attack. Senior Cooper Chacos led the line, notching a goal and a crafty assist. A convert from football to soccer, Chacos showed tenacity and physicality, and his goal won the loudest cheer of the afternoon from the crowd. Though the Oysters did well to stem the flow of goals in the second half, they still allowed sophomores Salbador Vasquez and Delano Crooks, as well as junior Luis Andrade, to score for a final tally of 10-0.

“We love playing Roaring Fork,” admitted CRMS Coach Daniel Pittz after the game. “Being able to play against a team of their caliber and to not have to travel for it is just an amazing thing.” Only two weeks into their season, Pittz is confident that his team will improve between now and the next time they play the Rams on October 20th. In the meantime, the Oysters will need to focus on their visit to Crested Butte this coming Saturday, Sept. 16.

The 10-0 win is not the most impressive item on the Rams resume this past week. Last Thursday they dispatched Gunnison 4-1, with a hat trick from Jake Barlow and a goal from Foster Hayes. Hayes then scored two in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Front Range powerhouse Liberty Common on Saturday.

For the moment, Coach Forbes is happy with his team’s trajectory and coachability. “If they keep figuring out how to play together and develop,” he mused, “this team has no ceiling.”

The most poignant moment of the afternoon took place long after the final whistle. Though the crowd of fans, parents, teachers, reporters, athletic directors and heads of school had dissipated, neither coach had stopped working. One made sure his team had cleaned up the bench area properly, while the other sat down with a player, deep in conversation. At that point the number of goals scored, assists made, shots blocked, corners taken — even the idea of a winner and a loser — all of that mattered much less than the fact that there are not one but two high school soccer teams in Carbondale with coaches who care deeply about their players and by extension, their communities. 

The Rams will host league rival Coal Ridge on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 6pm.