The Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — His team didn’t win a game last fall, but youth soccer coach Leon Rinck always looked past the record, and all he could see was the improvement.

So when his Steamboat girls team opened the season last weekend with three wins and a tie en route to winning the U-14 division at the Grand Mesa Tournament in Grand Junction, the coaches had plenty of reasons to celebrate.

“We got moved up to the Classic division last fall, and we didn’t win a game,” Rinck said. “We struggled tremendously, but I could see the team developing, and I could see the improvement even though it didn’t result in winning games.”

The coach urged his players to keep their heads up and he knew things would turn around. Last weekend in Grand Junction, things did turn around as the Steamboat team topped Aspen, 4-1, Durango, 2-0, and Basalt, 7-1, to lock up the overall title in the first three games. The team finished with a 0-0 tie against a squad from Grand Junction in the finale, but by then, the players already knew they had the tournament title in hand.

“It was a strong showing, especially since we’ve only had two or three practices this spring, and haven’t played a scrimmage or a game,” Rinck said.

The coach said it was a team effort all weekend with standout play coming from goalkeepers Sarah White and Hannah Barkey. The duo gave up only two goals in four games.

The team also got a strong defensive push from Eryn Rinck, Rachel Dobell, Katie Hostetler and Kate Verploeg who slowed opposing offenses all weekend.

The team’s offense was sparked by Sydney Bauknecht, Madeline Schaffrick and Meghan Rabbitt. Madi Mc­­Kinstry and Dobell also contributed key goals.

Rinck said he was impressed with the team’s showing in the opening weekend and already is looking forward to the squad’s next test, June 6 to 8, at the Rocky Mountain Cup in Boulder.

“That will be a good test for our team,” Rinck said. “There will be a lot of good teams at that tournament, and it will be a chance for this team to see how far they’ve come.”