LOVELAND — Leaving a few early chances unconverted ran the risk of becoming later regrets for the Mead girls soccer team Thursday.
The Mavericks did take an early lead in their Class 4A playoff game against host Thompson Valley but never really got the chance to feel full control as the Eagles made it 1-all. As one might expect when seeds No. 16 and 17 face off, it took until the bitter end to decide a winner as Mead converted all five of its penalty kicks after two 15-minute overtimes to advance.
Now 8-3-4 on the year, Mead will play at No. 1 Palmer Ridge on Saturday, as the Bears (14-1-1) beat No. 32 Thomas Jefferson by a 2-0 score Thursday. Thompson Valley ends the year at 8-3-5.
TVHS and Mead played to a scoreless tie back in March and had other postseason history as the Mavericks won a 1-0 game in the second round in 2025. This time, Mead got on the board quickly — about three minutes in — as Addison Cloud and Addison Caldwell moved up the right side and forced a foul on the Eagles. With the free kick, Brooke Boatman found Elena Gomez for a header to take the lead.
Multiple close calls in the aftermath didn’t go through, but the Mavericks had to figure this game would be decided by a hair.
“We had opportunities we were hoping to put away, but that’s how it goes sometimes. They’re a good team over there,” Mead coach Shane Adler said. “That’s a 16-17 matchup right there. In the end, we found a way.
“We really focused on transition this week. If we turn it over, we want to be the first ones to win it back, and do it quickly. That helped us maintain possession.”
Mead hasn’t lost since April 6 (now 7-0-3 in that span), and there’s a belief the Mavericks gained real insight after tough road losses to Legacy, Fairview and Palmer Ridge before the current streak.
“That kind of helped us build character and some grit as a team. We found our stride, got some chemistry and have been rolling since then,” Adler said.
Boatman nearly had a goal about eight minutes into the second half as her shot bounced off TV keeper Dani Alps and glanced off the left post. A huge presence in the game throughout, Boatman converted the final penalty kick to secure the victory.
“We were feeling the pressure going into the second half. We kept positive and worked together as a team,” said Boatman, who knew she couldn’t hang her head about the near miss in the second half. “It’s definitely frustrating, but it’s also motivating. You just want to go out there and get the next one.
“There’s a lot of pressure with (penalty kicks) but we know we will always support each other and always be friends at the end.”
The five successful PKs for Mead came from Gomez, Brianna Bohanon, Caldwell, Leah Rossiter and Boatman.
For Thompson Valley, the playoff game marked the departure of head coach Randy Chase, who exits after nine seasons. His team faced the postseason challenge down two of its top players because of injuries, Elena Montoya and Riley Darcy.
The Eagles goal came at 24:15 of the second half, on a header from Kathryn Cox after a well-struck free kick from Claire Pierson.
“We had lots of faith; we talked at halftime about what we need to change. We were ready to fight and pick it up,” Cox said. “On (the header), it sounds crazy, I just saw the ball coming and said I have to get to this. Closed my eyes … it was all God.
“It’s heartbreaking,” she added about her coach stepping down. “I’ve had him here since my freshman year, known him before that, so it’s going to be really hard. It’ll be good next year, just hoping he will come visit.”
“We don’t ever count one goal down as a big deal. We answered back in the second half and we got better, fought harder,” Chase said. “This is my last season, and I’m so proud of them. We made it into state again and they played their hearts out.
“We started out with 14 kids, dropped down to 12, and it’s hard to get through that. These girls played so hard, many were cramping up, but they just kept fighting. That’s what they do.”
