Another day, something similar happened in Manitou Springs women's soccer.
Despite losing 11 seniors from last season's 3A state runner-up team, the Mustangs continue to up their competition.
The seventh-seeded Mustangs advanced to the second round after defeating No. 26 Inglewood 3-0 Thursday night at Manitou Springs High School.
Manitou Springs' victory marks the third consecutive first-round victory.
However, Mustangs coach Ben Mack said his players must take advantage of scoring opportunities in the upcoming rounds.
“We didn't have a perfect game, but we played well enough to win,” Mack said. “There's a lot to organize and learn. But that knowledge is better gained by winning than by losing.”
This year, the Mustangs only have two seniors on their roster, but they still boast a wealth of experience. Manitou Springs had a regular season record of 11-2-1.
The Mustangs also needed to replace electrifying striker Madley Mack, who finished with 31 goals last season.
Kara Donegan took on the scoring responsibility this year, finishing the regular season with 16 points in 14 games, four more than in 2023.
Donegan helped the Mustangs build a 2-0 lead at the half with two shots off corner kicks.
The Mustangs junior's first goal came eight minutes into the game, and Donegan scored another goal in the 34th minute.
“that [second goal] It bounced off me, so I just turned around,” Donegan said. “It's important to have the hungry spirit to win them through the air. Those are the shots we have to put in.”
In the 65th minute, Elisa Carr led the Pirates to a 3-0 victory for the Mustangs.
Kerr said she had to find the ball after a feed from Annika Kuzbek. The passes were “so on point” that the freshman required little effort to take the shot.
“Annika made a beautiful cross from the outside and the ball went right in front of the goal,” Kerr said. “It was right there, so I just hit the head and went in. That was perfect for me.”
The Mustangs will play No. 10 Roaring Fork in Manitou Springs on Saturday at 1 p.m. Mack said he expects a cleaner play in the second round.
Manitou Springs' victory over the Pirates marked its ninth shutout of the season. But the coach warned the team that scoring in the postseason doesn't come cheap.
“We played well in different phases of the game and felt comfortable in our backline,” Mack said. “But I think we got a little impatient at times and…we didn't create better scoring chances. The ones we created, we didn't finish well. After the game, I told them, I said against a good opponent, they're going to come back and bite us.”
Donegan agreed and said he has an advantage against Roaring Fork.
The Mustangs thought this season would be a rebuilding year after losing so many seniors, but Donegan said their success highlights their ability.
Now, Donegan wants to ensure the Mustang continues to thrive.
“We understand that things are not as good as they were last year, but we expect everyone to show up and perform,” Donegan said. “We had a lot of missed chances – I had a few too – and we had some opening goals, but we couldn't convert them. They will be more important from now on. We intend to complete them.”