TORRINGTON – The Torrington High School boys’ soccer team avenged its first loss of the season on Saturday, handing the Buffalo Bison a 2-0 loss at Old Wiseman Field.
The two teams had met in a non-conference match at the Worland tournament just a week before, and Buffalo came away with a 2-0 victory.
This time around, on Torrington’s home field, the Blazers found the back of the net twice to open their conference schedule with a win.
“I was very pleased to win our first conference game of the year, especially against Buffalo,” THS coach Jeshua Arnusch said. “I thought we did a great job of controlling the mid-line and keeping possession in the first half. It was also nice to see our guys switch fields when we were in possession.”
As a result, it opened up the field for counter attacks.
The Blazers had several looks at the goal but couldn’t find the back of the net until the 34th minute when Tristen Kingsley connected on a well-placed corner kick which slipped through the hands of the Buffalo goalie.
Torrington held the 1-0 advantage through halftime, but it didn’t take long for the Blazers to find the back of the net in the second half.
When play resumed, thirty seconds later, Chase Miller connected on the second goal of the game courtesy of an assist from Nate Gutierrez.
“I was really impressed with Chase Miller this game,” Arnusch said. “You could see the growth he has made in just one short week from the last time we played them. He dribbled into space, scored a goal and high pressed well.”
Over the final 39 minutes of the match, it was a back-and-forth battle where neither team scored again.
“In the second half, I thought we worked hard to stay in our defensive shape,” Arnusch said. “Buffalo had the ball and kept trying to play it over the top and we responded well in the air and by protecting the box with Mechem and (Trace) English.”
Blazer goalkeeper Kyler Shields tallied three saves on the day.
“Kyler was really never tested in the second half even though they kept the ball,” Arnusch said. “He did what he needed to do to get the shutout.”
The Blazers (3-2 overall and 1-0 in the 3A East) face a busy weekend with three games in three days, starting with Rawlins (2-3 and 0-0) on Thursday at 5 p.m.
“They got our number last year, and if we can win this game and take care of business, we can be exactly where we want to be this early in the season,” Arnusch said. “It should be fun.”
Torrington will also face Riverton (3-3 and 1-1 in the 3A West) at home Friday at 5 p.m. and Lander Valley (4-1 and 0-0 in the 3A West) at 3 p.m. Saturday.
