D’Evelyn falls in semis Air Academy

No. 4 D’Evelyn soccer proved to be one of the best teams in the state this season.

But they were forced to go up against the single best team in the state, falling to No. 1 Air Academy 6-1 in the 4A state playoff semifinals Wednesday at Sports Authority Stadium.

Moreover, the state’s single best team also features the state’s single best player in senior Austin Dewing, who produced a hat trick in the first half, en route to Air Academy’s huge victory.

Dewing scored his first two goals in the first five minutes of the game putting D’Evelyn in a big hole. Dewing scored his third goal late in the first half. One more Air Academy goal, and just like that the Jaguars were down 4-0 at halftime.

“Those two early goals put us in a really tough place and we were forced to play catch up the entire game,” D’Evelyn coach Paul Moline said. “Air Academy is a really good team and they showed that tonight.”

Three days later Air Academy won a 4A state championship, beating The Classical Academy 2-0 Saturday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

But D’Evelyn season was definitely not a failure –; but the most successful season in school history.

D’Evelyn completed a perfect 7-0 league schedule 4A Jeffco on its way to a 16-3 season. The Jaguars won 10 straight games during one stretch of the season and have now put their team on the short list of elite 4A programs.

“It hurts now but when we look back at our season we will see that we accomplished a lot and to just make it to this point is pretty special,” D’Evelyn goaltender Chris Linden said. “I am proud of my teammates.”

Linden was the driving force behind the Jaguars success as the senior gave up only 12 total goals this season while stopping 81 shots.

Linden and fellow senior Christian Denton (seven goals this season) will be tough losses for D’Evelyn to overcome going into next season. But returning is the team’s leading scorer in sophomore Wesley Tedstrom who led the Jaguars with 10 goals this season.

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