MONUMENT • Two goals in less than four minutes made the difference in Wednesday night’s 4A girls state soccer playoff quarterfinal as unbeaten No. 6 seed Valor Christian (17-0) eliminated the host, No. 3 Lewis-Palmer, 3-1.Sister Layla and Hannah Brown provided the difference in the score, tallying with 5:43 and 2:23 to play, respectively, in the game for the Eagles, an independent from Highlands Ranch.Lewis-Palmer (15-2-1) had a chance to take the lead in the second half when Kourtney Guetlein pushed the ball past an Eagle defender and into the open, but Eagles goalkeeper Kenzie Averill was able to get out to the ball before Guetlein could get a shot off.“We had an opportunity to make it 2-1 for us and we didn’t do it,” said coach Ian Wale.Bri Pugh gave Valor Christian a 1-0 lead at 10:26 of the first half, taking the ball 60 yards and slicing it by L-P goalie Katrina Shmidl.The Rangers rebounded quickly as junior Jade Ryals out-jumped a defender and headed senior Maria Johnson’s corner kick over Averill at 8:30.Johnson, one of seven seniors on the team, credited her teammates and coach Wale for the success behind a share of the 4A Colorado Springs Metro League regular season championship (8-0-1).“I think we stepped it up to a new level this year. I think we bonded as a team more than any other team I’ve been on,” she said. “I wish those girls the best of luck“This program has a really bright future now that he (Wale) is here.”“It’s been a wonderfully successful season,” Wale said. “These are very mature, clever, smart girls.”Wale drew a red card at 31:07 of the second half, but his ejection didn’t appear to have an adverse outcome on the team’s play.“I think we stepped it up (after the red card),” Johnson said.

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