Lakewood, CO – The Cougars pulled out a hard fought 2-1 victory over the Mountaineers Sunday afternoon, pushing them closer to the final RMAC playoff spot. In high spirits after a must win victory, the Cougars celebrated 11 seniors to wrap up an incredible day in Lakewood.
Both sides entered the match this morning in a must-win scenario looking to keep post-season hopes alive. A highly energetic match, both sides got several shots off early looking for the games opening goal.
None other than
Alexis Byrd would start the day off on the scoresheet, converting the first corner of the game with a 13
th minute goal.
Faith Gaudy would deliver a phenomenal ball, dropping to the feet of
Alexis Byrd, promptly getting a shot off. The Western would manage to save Byrd's first shot, making another save on Byrd's second attempt. Tenacious, Byrd would manage to smash the ball into the net on the third go around, scoring her 7
th goal of the year to take the lead.
Unrelenting, CCU would continue to look for a second goal, Taitague nearly finding the net in the 40
th minute, forcing the hand of the Western keeper yet again. A physical half with 10 fouls called, the halftime whistle would blow with CCU up 1-0.
It wouldn't take long for the Cougars to find the net again in the second half, Gaudy scoring just 15 minutes into the half. Byrd knocked down a long ball from the Western goalkeeper, slipping in Gaudy. Calm and collected, Gaudy smashed a left footed shot top bins for the 2-0 lead and her second goal of the year.
Refusing to go down without a fight, Western would score a goal of their own just 6 minutes later on a free kick. Western's Welsh curled the ball just on the inside of the left post, just beating Kunitz to bring the game within 1.
The final 30 minutes would prove to be a battle for the Cougars, pushing for the go-ahead goal while defending with everything they had to keep Western from finding the equalizer. The physical play continued to build, with four cards shown in the final 20 minutes. Kunitz would come up with a monstrous save in the 86th minute to keep the Cougars in front.
The Cougars would manage to keep the Mountaineers at bay, the final whistle blowing with the Cougars ahead 2-1. A vital win for the Cougars to go 2-0 on the weekend, CCU now looks to their last game to seal a post-season conference spot.
Head Coach
Caleb Cole spoke on the steady victory, stating, "The team has been training really well, and I enjoyed how we are moving the ball and connecting on the field. We have more work ahead of us, but very pleased for the team. Lot of emotions on senior day, and no better way to celebrate than with a win.
Western has a strong group, and we knew they were also in a good run of form. I told the team we needed two goals, and really pleased to have a first and second half goal!"
After the match, Colorado Christian celebrated 11 seniors for their outstanding efforts and effects on and off the field. Congratulations
Danel Hach,
Breenalyn Shimabukuro,
Ella Salsbery,
Noelle Mingo,
Sophia Tagge,
Brooke Dunham,
Claire Leight, Taylor Tabolski,
Bailey Hotz,
Alece Hershey, and
Layla Pappas on incredible careers!
The Cougars take on MSU Denver in their final regular season match up. With kickoff set for Wednesday, 5pm MST at Trailblazer Stadium, a win against the Roadrunners would seal the Cougars for a RMAC Playoff berth.
