Lakewood, CO – The Cougars hosted 16
th in the nation UCCS Friday morning at Trailblazer Stadium, falling 1-0 to the Mountain Lions in a defensive battle. After going a man down the Cougars continued to battle to find the equalizer, ultimately falling a goal short.
A physical first half, both sides traded fouls early, looking to settle into the flow of the game. UCCS would open the half with the first two shots of the game, ultimately finding the opening goal early in the 17
th minute. A cross deep into the box left several Cougar defenders unable to deal with the ball, bouncing to the foot of UCCS's Brown who would find the goal to give the Mountain Lions the 1-0 advantage.
The Cougars would continue to battle defensively, goalkeeper
Campbell Wolfgram making several key saves to keep CCU within striking distance.
Bodie Curtis and
Oscar Sreckov would both test the UCCS keeper, the first half closing 1-0 to the Mountain Lions.
CCU would look to find its way back into the match, earning corner kicks and creating opportunities as the second half began. The Mountain Lions continued to put pressure on Wolfgram who would stand strong, making several more impressive saves throughout the half.
The Cougars would face a tough break in the 47
th minute, receiving a red card that pushed CCU to 10 men for the final stretch of the game. Despite the disadvantage, the Cougars would continue to push for the equalizer, but the Mountain Lions would hold on for the 1-0 victory. The Cougars would manage three shots, Wolfgram walking away with 9 saves on the day.
A heartened defensive effort,
Caleb Cole spoke on the performance, stating, "The team worked hard today, I thought their energy was good for large parts of the match. Oscar and Kylar brought a strong work rate, and Tate and Ty were engines in midfield. We knew UCCS had some quality individuals, and I thought the collective defended very well against a strong and direct attacking group. We almost got one back in the first half, Oscar headed the freekick from Rayce just past the near post. Even going to 10 men, the team pushed to score, which made me happy. We felt we pushed until hte last minute for the goal, and now we have to prepare for another good team on Sunday."
The Cougars face their second ranked opponent of the weekend, taking on #6 CSU Pueblo on Sunday. A historic rival for the Cougars, kickoff is set for 11am at Trailblazer Stadium.
