Las Vegas, NM - The Cougars took on New Mexico Highlands Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas, New Mexico, dominating the Cowgirls in a commanding road victory. Colorado Christian came out strong, finding the back of the net twice in the first half before adding another goal in the second half to secure the 3-0 shutout.
Alexis Byrd opened the scoring early, finding the back of the net in the fifth minute to give the Cougars the 1-0 advantage. A beautiful lofted ball from
Jordyn Rollins would find
Alexis Byrd sprinting down the sideline, beating her defender with her first touch and nicely slotting the ball for the opening goal.
Both sides continued to trade possession, with the Cougars creating several chances in the attacking third. CCU would find its second goal just before the halftime whistle, as
Claire Leight scored in the 43rd minute to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead heading into the break. A cutback from
Lexi Taitague found the foot of Leight, whipping a ball into the top left corner for her first goal of the season.
Coming out of halftime, the Cougars continued to push forward, looking to extend their lead. A corner and deflection off of
Sophia Tagge would line the ball up in front of the net, Tagge and Byrd both swinging at the ball to push the ball past the keeper for the 3-0 lead.
The Cougars continued to create chances throughout the second half, out shooting the Cowgirls 10-0 in the final 45 minutes.
The Cougars' defense held strong throughout the match, limiting New Mexico Highlands to just two shots, with only one on target.
Kenzie Kunitz recorded one save to secure the shutout as Colorado Christian came away with the 3-0 conference victory.
Byrd led the Cougars with two goals on six shots, four of which were on target. CCU finished the match with 24 shots, 15 on target, while holding the Cowgirls without a corner kick the entire match.
Coach
Zoe Sims praised the teams effort for the road victory, stating, "The team earned a good win today. Before the match, we talked about the importance of working together and achieving our goals as team. That message was truly implemented with our final goal, when
Alexis Byrd and
Sophia Tagge both got a foot on the ball at the same time. I am especially proud of the fact that the team earned a shutout, it is easy to focus on what we accomplished in the attacking third, but we locked it down on the other side of the pitch as well which was great to see. Very happy with the win today. But we still have work to do in our last three games".
The statement win for the Cougars wraps up the season on the road, the Cougars only left with 3 more home games before the end of regular season. CCU will be back in action Friday, October 23
rd against Fort Lewis, kickoff set for 11am at Trailblazer Stadium.
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