Alamosa keeper Austin Fresquez-Blankenship catches a save during the 0-1 loss to Crested Butte on Saturday.(Courier photo by Stephen Jiron

ALAMOSA , Colo. — Saturday afternoon Alamosa High was the location of a non-league soccer matchup between the Mean Moose and visiting Crested Butte.

For the third time this year Alamosa (2-4-0) would go to overtime with an opponent, a number that already matches last year's total. The Titans (4-0-0) won the tightly contested match by a score of 1-0 taking two overtime periods to finally decide the meeting.
Last year Alamosa put together a 7-7-1 season and missed the playoffs. The talent wasn’t questioned but they did suffer from slow starts, in fourteen games they scored 18 of 28 points in the second half.  This year the Moose look to have solved that riddle scoring 12 of the team total 17 goals in the first half.

A couple days removed from a structural dismantling of Pagosa Springs, by a score of 11-1 it seemed Alamosa was tuned up for their home game against Crested Butte. Unfortunately the visiting Titans stunted Alamosa’s offense initially. Alamosa mustered two opportunities with one shot on goal in the first half. Rather the Mean Moose played a largely defensive game as according to preliminary stats, keeper Austin Fresquez-Blankenship faced eleven shots and made four saves in the first half.

 In the second half Alamosa strikers Jose Mateo Andres and Esteban Antonio began applying pressure and Alamosa outshot the Titans 8-5. Unfortunately the second half revival didn’t yield results and the two clubs would go to overtime to decide the scoreless match.

In the sudden death period, Alamosa failed to register a shot on goal it was the defense that kept the Moose in it. An attacker had gotten in behind Fresquez-Blankenship after a rebound, the ‘lay-up’ he directed on goal was kicked aside to keep things scoreless. In the second overtime period neither team was generating meaningful scoring chances and it began to look as though the match may be logged in the dreaded third column. With the final minute ticking away in the afternoon the rebounds came back to haunt Alamosa. While the initial shot was blocked the rebound was cleaned up giving Crested Butte the win in double overtime.

Alamosa will go back to the Intermountain League when they welcome Pagosa Springs this Saturday for a home match slated for an 11 a.m. start. Once again the Pirates will prelude an undefeated opponent, as they will be followed by Pueblo County on Sept. 11.