After winning the 3A Western Slope League title this season, the Steamboat Springs High School boys soccer team will open the state playoffs at 5 p.m. Wednesday with a home game against Berthoud.

“This season, whether it is in our training environment or the competitive games that we’ve had, has developed the team to where they are now,” said Rob Bohlmann, Steamboat Springs High School head soccer coach. “It really bodes well, I believe, as for the right type of mentality that you need” headed into the playoffs.

The Sailors are hoping for a large crowd Wednesday evening as they welcome Berthoud for the playoff game at Gardner Field. Admission is free, but donations are gratefully accepted at the gate to support the Steamboat Sailors soccer program.

Steamboat Springs finished the regular season with a 9-3-3 overall record and topped the 3A Western Slope League, finishing 6-1 against league opponents. Steamboat picked up wins against Vail Mountain (3-1), Aspen (4-0), Coal Ridge (1-0), Delta (4-1), Basalt (2-0) and Rifle (3-0) with the team’s only league loss coming in a tight 2-1 contest against Niwot.

Outside of the Western Slope League Steamboat Springs posted wins against Evergreen (2-1), Golden (1-0) and lost to Roaring Fork (2-1) and Battle Mountain (4-1). The Steamboat Springs team also tied Pine Creek (1-1), Glenwood Springs (2-2) and was down 2-0 to Bruce Randolph in its regular season finale last weekend before making a gutsy second-half comeback to tie the game 2-2.

Bohlmann said after a season filled with tight games, he believes the team has built the character needed for postseason play.

Berthoud arrives in Steamboat Springs with an 8-5-2 overall record, a fifth-place finish in the 3A/4A Longs Peak division with a 3-3-2 record, and a No. 30 seed in the 32-team bracket. The Sailors are seeded No. 3 and are on the opposite side of the bracket from top-seeded Colorado Academy, fourth-seeded Kent Denver and fifth-seeded Peak to Peak. Top contenders on Steamboat’s side of the bracket include No. 2-seeded Jefferson Academy, No. 6-seeded Stargate School and seventh-seeded Coal Ridge.

Bohlmann said the Sailors have faced a challenging and strong schedule, filled with a lot of tight games.

“Our league is a very difficult league with a lot of quality teams that pose a lot of challenges and are very dangerous to play against,” Bohlmann said. “Eighty percent of those games have been very tight and very competitive, and then we’ve had a really challenging non-league schedule.”

Bohlmann said the tough competition has helped this team develop strong mental fortitude. “This is an absolutely incredible group of Steamboat boys,” Bohlmann said. “I they are so committed, they hold each other accountable and they’re great teammates to each other, and they play good soccer. It’s so fun to watch and be a part of what they are doing.”