SAN ANGELO, TX - After a long bus ride to Texas, the Cougars started the season up against the No. 3 team in NCAA Division II, Angelo State. After a challenging first half, they kept their spirits high and battled it out until the end.
The defending Lone Star Conference champions notched a 5-1 victory on their home turf.
HOW IT HAPPENED - The Cougars were not surprised with the Ram's speed and athleticism. Colorado Christian conceded a goal in the first five minutes due to unfortunate miss tracking in the midfield off a corner.
The two teams went back and forth early on, defense and goalkeeper Ireland Van Dyke saw a lot of action in a short period of time. After being down two goals, sophomore
Taya Starnes, came back fighting and scored with a shot in the upper 90, assisted by sophomore
Ashleigh Willette.
Entering the second half the Cougars were down 4-1. Freshman goalkeeper
Keeley Kroonenberg made her first collegiate appearance and changed the pace of the game. Colorado Christian came out stronger in the second half and fought until the final whistle blew.
COUGAR LEADERS: Starnes was a key asset to the heartbeat of this game. She lead the defensive back line and showed her true dynamic ability by putting the Cougars on the score board and having the most amount of shots on goal during the game. Freshman
Allie Hotz played 90 minutes in her first collegiate performance and proved to be impenetrable at times.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
UP NEXT: Colorado Christian will be facing off against Eastern New Mexico this Sunday, September 5th at 12:00 PM.
