Denver, CO – The Cougars traveled to Regis Sunday afternoon, taking on the Rangers in another RMAC matchup. A first-half goal would prove to be the difference, as the Cougars fell 1-0 despite a strong second-half push.
Both sides traded chances early, with
Alexis Byrd nearly finding the opening goal in the 12th minute, sending a shot off the top woodwork.
Kenzie Kunitz would come up with several saves to keep the Rangers off the board early, but Regis would eventually break through in the 24th minute, finding the back of the net to take the 1-0 lead.
The Cougars continued to push for an equalizer before the halftime whistle, with
Ava Haas and
Kira Merrell both testing the Regis goalkeeper. Despite the late first-half chances, the Rangers would carry the one-goal advantage into the break.
CCU came out looking to respond in the second half, creating several opportunities to find the equalizer. Byrd and
Olivia Martin both put shots on target early in the half, but the Regis goalkeeper would come up with the saves to keep the Cougars off the board.
Working to find an equalizer against the ranked Rangers, CCU continued to apply pressure as the half progressed, with
Sophia Tagge, Byrd, and Haas all getting looks at goal. Haas would put another shot on target in the 84th minute, but the Rangers held firm defensively, keeping the Cougars from finding the equalizer.
Despite out shooting Regis 15-13 and putting eight shots on target, the Cougars were unable to find the back of the net, falling 1-0 on the road. The Cougars would find 8 shots on target compared to Regis' 5, Kunitz coming up with 8 saves on the day.
Although falling just short for the second time this week, the Cougars walk away with another strong performance on both sides of the ball. Head coach
Caleb Cole commented on the narrow loss, stating, "The team started the match a little slow, but we rattled the woodwork and had a couple good chances in the first half. Kenzie also made an excellent reaction save mid way through the first half. The girls kicked it up a notch,
Olivia Martin and
Claire Leight brought a lot of energy second half in the midfield. Byrd and Ava were dangerous on the wings, and we came close and really pressed well second half.
Our back line made several big plays second half as we pushed for the equalizer against a strong Regis front line. Tough 1-0 loss, but the girls really created a lot and played hard, we will focus on continued growth this next week!"
The Cougars now look to a one game weekend, taking on New Mexico Highlands this next Sunday. Kickoff set for October 18
th at 11am MST, the Cougars travel to Las Vegas, NM to rebound in the final road contest of the year.
