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Aspen soccer up to 3-0-0

Dale Strode
The Aspen Times
Aspen junior Nikko Wehse (21) clears the ball during Thursday's rainy match against Moffat County at Aspen School District Stadium. The Skiers won 4-0.
Aubree Dallas/The Aspen Times |

Steady rain didn’t slow down the unbeaten Aspen High School boys soccer team Thursday afternoon.

The Skiers, with three quick goals in the first 13 minutes of the soggy match, shut out visiting Moffat County 4-0 in a drizzling rain on the field turf at Aspen School District Stadium.

Senior John Heaphey, who doubles as the kicker on the Aspen football team, scored the first goal barely a minute and a half into the game. He controlled a through ball that cleared the Moffat County back line and finished for a 1-0 lead.



Senior Joel Brice then scored the first of his back-to-back goals in the fifth minute of the match — a low liner to the left side past the Moffat County keeper.

Heaphey passed across to Brice who scored Aspen’s third goal, giving the Skiers a 3-0 lead they carried into halftime of the nonconference match.




Aspen’s Ramiro Perez, also a senior, capped the scoring in the match with a solo move that created space for a shot and a goal early in the second half.

“We came out strong in the beginning,” Aspen head coach Dave Francis said after the Skiers improved to 3-0-0. “And one of the things we need to do is get plenty of playing time for all these guys. We’re going to need them as the season goes on.”

The Skiers rotated players all across the pitch throughout the second half.

“There are some strong kids on that (Moffat County) team, some big kids,” Francis said. “This was a good challenge physically for us.”

He said that playing in the distracting rain also provided experience for the players — wet-weather experience they may need again.

“It was a good win, but not our best performance,” Francis said.

Charlie Van Allen had the shutout in goal for the Skiers, who dominated in shots.

Aspen outshot the Bulldogs 12-3 in the opening half.

Moffat County (0-1-1) mounted more offensive pressure in the second half behind Ulises Silva, Marco Ayala, Micajah Prescott and Hugh Turner.

But the Aspen defense or Van Allen put up a final stop to the Moffat County attacks in the nonconference shutout.

The Skiers will head to the Front Range on Saturday for a two-game tournament at Jefferson Academy.

“They (Jefferson Academy) are in one of the strongest conferences (in the state),” Francis said. “It will be a good challenge for us. It will be a good change to play some other teams … some Front Range teams.”

Moffat County will return home to host Grand Valley on Saturday morning.

dstrode@aspentimes.com