The 2026 season has asked more of the Colorado Springs Christian boys soccer team.
A move from Class 2A to Class 3A has brought stronger competition, smaller margins for error and a schedule designed to test the Lions. But through the challenges, this group continues to show what growth looks like: responding after difficult matches, competing together and learning what it takes to succeed at a new level.
And there have already been plenty of moments worth celebrating.
Answering the Challenge
CSCS opened the season against a difficult Denver Christian team before responding just three days later with a 5–2 victory over Front Range Christian. The Lions continued to build from there, recording a dominant 6–0 shutout of Ellicott, battling The Vanguard School to a 2–2 draw and defeating Front Range Christian again, 4–1.
That ability to respond has become one of the defining characteristics of this team.
The Lions haven’t had an easy road in their first season at the 3A level, but easy isn’t the goal. Every difficult opponent provides another opportunity to grow in communication, discipline and confidence.
Perhaps no match demonstrated that progress better than CSCS’s trip to Woodland Park.
A Rivalry Win to Remember
Facing a Woodland Park program that has long been a familiar opponent, the Lions wasted almost no time taking control.
Joshua Chippeaux opened the scoring just two minutes into the match. Senior Judah Rogers followed five minutes later, and Ethan Nolley added another goal midway through the first half. Rogers struck again in the 23rd minute, giving CSCS a commanding advantage on its way to a 4–1 victory.
But the final score only tells part of the story.
After halftime, CSCS elevated its defensive effort and communication. Woodland Park managed six shots in the final 40 minutes but did not put a single one on goal. Goalkeeper Sean Law told The Gazette that communication had been a major emphasis at halftime, and the Lions responded with one of their strongest defensive halves of the season.
The victory was also significant in the Tri-Peaks League and showed what this team is capable of when all phases of the game come together.
Lions Stepping Forward
Several players have emerged as important contributors throughout the season.
Rogers’ two-goal performance against Woodland Park brought him to eight goals on the season at that point. He entered 2026 after earning The Gazette All-Area First Team recognition for his performance during the previous season.
At the other end of the field, Law has repeatedly been asked to make big saves against strong competition. Earlier this season, he recorded 15 saves in the Lions’ 4–1 victory over Front Range Christian and followed that performance with a career-high 16 saves against SkyView Academy.
The production goes beyond those two players.
Chippeaux’s ability to strike early against Woodland Park helped set the tone for one of the Lions’ biggest victories of the season, while Nolley has contributed to the attack and was listed with five assists in MaxPreps’ late-September statistical comparison. Defensively, players throughout the lineup have been challenged to adjust to the speed and physicality that come with the move to 3A.
More Than One Team
One of the most encouraging moments from the Woodland Park match actually began before varsity took the field.
The CSCS JV group found itself trailing 4–2 before rallying for a 5–4 victory. Rogers later explained that the connection between the two teams is particularly strong because several Lions contribute across the program.
That shared experience matters.
This isn’t simply a varsity team working through a season. It is a soccer program learning to compete together, support one another and build something for the future.
For a program making the jump into a higher classification, that foundation may prove every bit as important as any individual result.
Representing Something Greater
There will continue to be challenges.
That’s part of competing in 3A, and it’s part of building a program capable of taking another step forward.
But wins and losses aren’t the only measure of what is happening within CSCS boys soccer this fall.
These young men are being challenged to respond when things don’t go their way. They’re learning to communicate when pressure rises, to compete for the teammate beside them and to keep working when the level of competition increases.
Most importantly, they have an opportunity every time they take the field to represent something greater than themselves.
At CSCS, our hope isn’t simply that our athletes become better soccer players. We want them to compete in a way that represents Jesus Christ well — through their effort, character, response to adversity and the way they treat teammates and opponents.
There is still meaningful soccer ahead.
CSCS is scheduled to travel to The Classical Academy on Tuesday, Sept. 29, followed by a Tri-Peaks road match at Lamar on Oct. 1. League matches against Banning Lewis Academy and Atlas Preparatory School also remain on the October schedule.
The competition isn’t getting easier.
That’s exactly what makes the opportunity so exciting.
This group of Lions is being stretched, tested and given the chance to grow together — and we are proud to stand behind them every step of the way.
Keep competing, Lions. Keep growing. And keep representing Christ well.