I was very happy with how the boys played the ball on the turf.”

Coach Jeshua Arnusch

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The Blazers are at home to play Newcastle on Friday, May 16 at 6 p.m.

TORRINGTON – Competition between Wyoming high school soccer teams is heating up as varsity squads go head-to-head in a battle to clinch the top seeds in their respective conferences for the upcoming state tournament.

A tough, physical weekend for the Torrington High School Blazers opened with a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Douglas at an away game on Friday, May 9.

On Saturday, Torrington hosted Buffalo. A rocky start by Torrington in the first half resulted in Buffalo scoring two goals. While a tenacious Blazers defense shut out the Bison in the second half and the Torrington offense found more opportunities to strike, the Blazers ultimately came up short on the final scoreboard, 2-0.

Despite the 1-1 weekend, the Blazers remain in the No. 1 position in the 3A East with a 9-4 overall record and an 8-1 conference record. 

Torrington hosts Newcastle for its final home game of the season on Friday, May 16 at 6 p.m. The evening will feature senior recognition.

“I’m excited to watch the seniors get one more chance to play on Old Wiseman Field,” coach Jeshua Arnusch said.

Douglas

The Blazers offense struck with speed and ferocity early in the first half against Douglas with shots on goal by junior Anthony Arnusch, senior Skyler Thomas and senior Elijah Hatch.

“Ant, Skyler and Hatch were unselfish the entire game,” coach Arnusch remarked. “They were inches away from scoring five goals in the first 10 minutes of the game. I was very happy with how the boys played the ball on the turf.”

Thomas netted the first goal for the Blazers on an assist by Arnusch.

Douglas responded with a goal and the game tied, 1-1. 

The Torrington offense kept up the pressure into the second half, culminating in a game-winning goal by Thomas, assisted by Hatch.

The Blazers defense played with grit throughout both halves. Carter Blevins, senior Kaiden Riggs and junior Jace Schlagel protected the backfield and senior goalie Ayden Shimic picked up several saves.

“Carter won a ton of balls out of the air and Kaiden won almost every 50-50,” coach Arnusch noted. “Jace did a great job forcing players wide and Ayden read the ball well on bounces and quick hits.”

Overall, the fast and furious game between Torrington and Douglas proved the Blazers’ mettle beyond a doubt.

“I thought (Douglas) was our best game of the season,” coach Arnusch remarked.

Buffalo

The halftime score between Torrington and Buffalo favored the Bison, 2-0, following a pair of goals by Buffalo late in the first half.

“The first half killed us layer wise,” coach Arnusch said. “We got scored on quickly because we were disconnected between our midfield and defense. It’s a good thing that happened to us before the state tournament so we can practice our defensive shape this week and improve on conditioning.”

The Blazers rallied in the second half with the team adjusting to “stay connected,” coach Arnusch continued.

The Blazers defense closed ranks to shut out Buffalo for the remainder of regulation.

“Carter and Kaiden did a good job as seniors pushing us higher and higher,” coach Arnusch said. “Ayden did a great job protecting the space behind him in the second half, too.”

The Torrington offense stepped up the pressure in the second half, resulting in four shots on goal led by Thomas and Arnusch.

“I thought Buffalo did a great job of marking up Ant,” coach Arnusch remarked. “There were multiple times they had four guys on him. The crossbar saved one of his left-footed shots from outside the 18 and there were a few physical tackles on him inside the box that could have gone either way. I thought Skyler had some great hits, too, that were super close in the second half. Skyler also played some great passes.”

When the dust settled on Saturday, coach Arnusch was pleased with the Blazers’ efforts.

“Now we just need to get healthy and get in better shape,” Arnusch added.