Kocel inspires Indians comeback

Scott Kocel made a dramatic return to Cheyenne Mountain's lineup by scoring the winning goal against Liberty on Wednesday at District 20 Stadium.

Kocel chased down a lead pass from Derek Sawyer, ignored the pressure from a defender and ripped a bullet from the right side that found the back of the net with 9:48 remaining to give the Indians a 3-2 victory.

Fellow senior Bruno Villavicencio tied the game in the 65th minute as Ben Glass got the assist.

"It was a tale of two halves," Cheyenne Mountain coach Scott Johnson said. "We were uninspired the first half and picked up our level and intensity in the second."

Johnson said it's no coincidence that the Pikes Peak No. 3 Indians played better with Kocel on the field. The three-time letterman has verbally committed to St. Louis University, the No. 6-ranked team in Division I soccer.

"He's an inspiration and creates for everybody around him," Johnson said. "He makes a big difference."

Kocel and Sam Vinson had to sit out the Indians' opening loss after getting red cards in the 2007 state semifinal loss to Mullen, when referees disallowed a pair of apparent Cheyenne Mountain goals.

Kocel also missed the first half against No. 1 Liberty when Johnson disciplined him for an outburst in a scrimmage against Pine Creek. Kocel broke his hand when he pounded the turf in that exhibition and played with a cast against Liberty.

"I'm able to bring a lot of pace and intensity to our team," Kocel said.

Liberty (0-2) moved up to Class 5A after losing to eventual champion Broomfield in the 4A semifinals last season. The Lancers led Mullen 2-0 in their opener but fell 4-3.

"We lose focus in the middle of the game," Liberty coach Mike Goyden said.

Ryan Warren scored both Liberty goals on superb passes from Andrew Nemechek. Tom O'Dea tied it 1-1 for the Indians in the 26th minute.

"This is one of the worst feelings in the world," Warren said. "We lost (1-0) at Cheyenne Mountain last year. A lot of us have played club soccer with them for half our lives, so it's tough to lose to them."