On a crisp spring evening at Recht Field, the Boulder High School girls soccer team delivered its biggest statement of the season so far—knocking off the No. 1-ranked Castle View SaberCats in a thrilling 2–1 victory Tuesday night.

Coming into the match, Boulder was looking to protect its undefeated record against a Castle View squad that had dominated opponents all season. The Panthers started strong, pressing into Castle View's half for the first eight minutes of the game, though they couldn't turn possession into clear scoring chances.

As the half wore on, both teams traded stretches of possession. Boulder found the most success when they kept the ball on the ground and moved it side-to-side. Attempts to play over the top were largely shut down by Castle View's disciplined back line. Coach Carlos Real continued to push his players to maintain possession and build play up the field. Castle View created a few dangerous moments in the final 20 minutes of the first half, but Boulder's defense stood tall—limiting the SaberCats to off-target shots and just one corner kick. The first half ended 0-0.

Early in the second half, Boulder thought it had broken through when Neva Woodson sent a direct kick from 50 yards into the box, where it was flicked into the net—but the goal was disallowed.

Castle View then turned up the pressure, nearly scoring around the 22-minute mark when a shot rang off the post, followed by a scramble in front of the net. But Boulder weathered the storm—and struck first.

With 16:35 left in the half, Woodson launched one of her signature long throw-ins from the 15-yard line. The ball skipped past several defenders and after a quick pinball sequence in front of goal, Mia DeJohn pounced on it and slotted it home from close range to put Boulder ahead 1–0.

Less than six minutes later, Boulder struck again. After Castle View lost the ball near midfield, Maddy Moore gathered it and pushed up the sideline before slipping a pass to Zoe Silver. Silver beat her defender with a sharp cutback, drove inside, and found Kiri Fogarty-Sears wide open at the top of the box. Fogarty-Sears calmly placed the ball into the lower left corner to double Boulder's lead at 2–0.

But the dreaded 2–0 scoreline didn't guarantee safety. Coach Real urged his team to stay composed and keep possession as Castle View threw everything forward in the final minutes. Their pressure finally paid off with just under six minutes to play, as they pulled a goal back to make it 2–1.

Rather than panic, Boulder dug deep—winning 50/50 balls, pressing in midfield, and managing the clock wisely. In the final five minutes, Castle View's attack began to fade, and Boulder held firm until the final whistle.

With the win, Boulder improves to 6-0-2 on the season and takes down the top-ranked team in the state in the process.

Check out the photo gallery from the the game

Next up, the Panthers take on Broomfield on Thursday, April 10 at 6:30 p.m. at Broomfield High School.