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Skiers boys tennis shines at home

Nate PetersonAspen, CO Colorado
Paul Conrad/The Aspen Times
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ASPEN After nearly a month of playing matches away from home, Aspens road-tested tennis team hosted an opponent on its own courts Saturday at the Aspen Golf Club. The Skiers didnt disappoint in front of their fans, winning all but one of seven matches against overmatched Hotchkiss. Aspens lone loss came at No. 1 singles where Alex Smith regularly a junior varsity player filled in for the Skiers absent No. 1, senior Brian Smith, and fell in straight sets (6-0, 6-0) to Troy Benson. Otherwise, it was all Aspen. The Skiers other two singles players, junior Kyle Feuer at No. 2 and freshman Michael Willsky at No. 3, both rolled to convincing wins in straight sets. Feuer dropped the Bulldogs Kacey Kropp (6-3, 6-4) and Willsky downed Matthew Stech (6-2, 6-2). In doubles play, Aspens No. 1 team senior Chris Taylor and junior Paul Young quickly dispatched of Zane Lorew and Ryan Sparks (6-2, 6-2). No. 2 doubles Sean Trotter and Doug Schuster also won in straight sets, downing Craig Dickman and Chris Garver (6-1, 6-1). At No. 3 doubles, Skiers senior Stephen Boenning and Remy Pearlstone earned the most lopsided win of the day for Aspen, not losing a game to Colby Hayes and Tim Neville. Aspens Nic Broeking and Michael Ward also won at No. 4 doubles, although scores were not available. For homecoming week, this is a great match to have in Aspen, said Skiers coach Torre. Im really happy. The biggest thing is that all these guys are playing well. Win or lose, thats what youre hoping for, that theyre learning tennis and playing well. All of them really played well today. Aspens next home dual is Sept. 29 against rival Steamboat Springs. Before that, Aspen will play Cedaredge, Fruita Monument and Hotchkiss on the road. Right now our goal is just preparing for the regionals, which is the first week in October, Torre said. Your win-loss record is not as important as your preparation for regionals. Were going to go in [to regionals] probably seeded somewhere in the middle, which will be a tough draw, but right now, everybody is really playing great.

Aspens offense had the breakout game coach Junior Sutherland had been predicting as four different Skiers netted goals Saturday in a 4-2 homecoming win over Paonia. Skiers junior Dane Kornasiewicz connected on an assist from junior Kelly Selby in the 16th minute to give Aspen a lead it would never relinquish. In the 38th minute, junior Murphy Fyrwald scored off an assist from junior Kyle Lusk. Aspen took a 3-0 lead in the 52nd minute when Fyrwald fed an assist to Jesus Meza. Paonia got on the scoreboard in the 61st minute when Alex Quinonez slammed into Aspen goalie Alex Owen while both players were going for a high ball in the box. Owen failed to reign in the ball because of the collision, and it squirted into the goal.A livid Sutherland let officials know he didnt agree with the call. Any contact with the keeper, its a free kick for the keeper, he said. If the balls in the air, and they contact the keeper, it should have been a free kick, but they gave them the goal. Aspen quickly responded. Senior Giovanni Negroni took an assist from junior Robbie Franklin and finished a beautiful run in the 63rd minute to give Aspen its fourth goal. Paonia got its second goal three minutes later off a penalty kick from Quinonez an opportunity created by another close call. Aspens Cody Baker was whistled for an elbow in the goal box when he went up for a ball with a Paonia player. The win for Aspen didnt come without a cost. Negroni was issued a red card late in the second half and will sit out Aspens game Tuesday against Roaring Fork, which played the Skiers to a 1-1 tie in the first meeting. They worked all week in practice with finishing and trying to see if they could compose themselves in front of the goal and it showed today, Sutherland said. It could have been more. In the first half, it could have been a lot more. Nate Petersons e-mail address is npeterson@aspentimes.com