Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — On top of junior Devin Borvansky's sandy blond hair is an invisible target that seems to grow larger when he's in the box and Steamboat's threatening to score.

Kyle Nelson found Borvansky and his head on a direct kick just 3:21 into Thursday night's game. The goal, much to the surprise of both teams, held up for the rest of the contest, as Steamboat went on to defeat Battle Mountain, 1-0, at Gardner Field.

The win moves Steamboat to 6-4 overall and 4-1 in the league, while the Huskies fall to 3-2 in the league and 6-4 overall.

"It was an absolute exquisite serve from Kyle," Battle Mountain coach David Cope said. "We don't have a player to match (Borvansky) expect our goalkeeper."

Battle Mountain goalie Beau Beckley and Borvansky stand around 6-foot-3, but even an outstretched Beckley couldn't disrupt the play in the short amount of time it took for Nelson to deliver the ball to Borvansky in the box Thursday night.

"That's one of the things on set plays we're looking for," Sailors coach Rob Bohlmann said on finding Borvansky.

Bohlmann, however, said Steamboat's overall play was not what he wants to see. He said the Sailors allowed the Huskies intense, aggressive style to pressure them into mistakes and prevent them from establishing any rhythm on offense.

Except for Steamboat's early goal, the Sailors only had a handful of decent looks at the net the rest of the game. Battle Mountain, meanwhile, provided Sailors goalie Kelly Carlson with an early evening workout.

Both Bohlmann and Cope agreed Carlson was the difference-maker for and against their respective teams in Thursday's league game.

"He was everything," Bohlmann said.

Carlson went high, low, left and right to stop a myriad of Huskies shots. With several diving saves, Carlson drew applause from the home crowd and groans from Battle Mountain's bench, but no stop may have been as remarkable or as timely as Carlson's sprawl upon the ball with 4:44 to go in the game.

Huskies freshmen Antonio Aparicio separated himself from Steamboat's defenders and took a point blank shot on goal that Carlson deflected but could not gather. The loose ball was juggled around between Battle Mountain, Steamboat and the net for nearly 10 seconds before Carlson fell on the ball while the Huskies players raised their hands in the air in celebration.

It was for naught, as no signal of a goal came from any referee on the field.

"I saw it on my back and I was able to grab it," Carlson said. "That was lucky."

After the game, Cope said when Borvansky scored his quick goal, Battle Mountain became prepared to face a Sailors scoring machine that lost to Glenwood Springs 7-6 on Sept. 19.

Borvansky sure thought that would be the result Friday when Steamboat scored so easily so early on the Huskies.

If he could make the invisible target on his head appear, Borvansky said he would like it to resemble a Sailors foam finger, poking straight out of his head and waving a number one.

And Borvansky's goal, Carlson's play in net and Nelson's game control at mid-field and on defense preserved the important league win for Steamboat, as it broke its tie for second with Battle Mountain.

Glenwood Springs' tie with Rifle on Friday moved Glenwood to 4-1-1 in the league. Steamboat's 4-1.

If things play out as the Sailors wish, Borvansky might get to hold up a No. 1 after all.