Defending 4A state champion Air Academy features a revamped roster at most spots, but not the one that tends to matter the most.

Kadets goalkeeper Jackson Gorr showed his value Thursday night, turning away a flurry of second-half opportunities for The Classical Academy until his team capitalized on a free kick just outside the box to win 1-0 on the road in a matchup of perennial state contenders in their classifications.

“Their keeper had a couple of phenomenal saves,” Titans coach Blake Galvin said. “Anybody else and that’s a goal on our side. Hats off to him.

“Heartbreaker, though.”

The 6-foot-3 Gorr has made a habit of breaking hearts on the pitch.

In his third year as Air Academy’s starter, Gorr was in net as the team went 12-5-1 during his sophomore season and again last year as it went 16-1-2 and captured the 4A title.

This year is different, however, as the defenders in front of him have largely changed over because of graduation.

“It’s hard losing a lot of your buddies from the last season,” said Gorr, named First-Team 4A All-State goalie by Colorado High School Activities Association last season. “I lost all three of the center backs that I was great friends with. We played golf all summer. I miss them, I miss them so much.

“But working with this younger group, I feel that responsibility to lift them up, make them as good as the guys that were in front of them last year. We’ll keep working and hopefully keep winning some games like this.”

This game was certainly a test. The defenses dominated the first half. The Kadets went on the attack early in the second but came away with nothing to show for it. Then the wind started blowing hard at the backs of TCA (1-1), and the Titans responded by creating multiple scoring opportunities that died in Gorr’s long arms.

“He’s solid,” longtime Air Academy coach Espen Hosoien said of Gorr. “It’s easier for defenders to defend and stay calm when they know they have someone like him in the back taking care of the scraps.”

Air Academy (2-1) scored the game’s lone goal when senior Cameron Greco connected on a free kick a few feet outside the box.

“Glad we could put one in the back of the net and put one in ours,” Gorr said. “We’re going to keep working. This isn’t what we’ll look like at the end of the year, but it’s good to sneak out of here with a win.”

It was the second goal for Greco this season. He hadn’t scored prior to this season, but that’s a common refrain for a team that lost players that scored 47 of the team’s 50 goals from a year ago.

Greco isn’t short on experience, however, as he and Gorr are the lone starters returning from the state championship run.

“A lot of new players are getting a chance to play new minutes, it’s kind of fun,” Hosoien said.

This was just the second game of the season for the Titans, who lost a contest to a lightning cancellation.

The Titans – a 3A program – knew perfectly well what they were facing in the Kadets. After all, these teams are located only a few miles apart, Air Academy on the grounds of the Air Force Academy and TCA just east of the academy’s north gate. The proximity means many of these players have grown up playing with each other and continue to see each other in club soccer.

Last year, the Kadets handled the Titans 4-2. So though this game – and the brick wall standing in net – proved frustrating, the silver lining was easy to see.

“Coming into this game they were ready,” Galvin said of his team. “They embraced that challenge and didn’t back down.”