Lakewood, CO – The Cougars welcomed Black Hills State to Trailblazer Stadium Friday morning, looking to build momentum after a strong win last Sunday. An early goal from
Faith Gaudy would give the Cougars the lead, but a second-half brace from the Yellow Jackets saw Black Hills State take the 2-1 victory.
The Cougars wasted no time getting on the board, as
Kira Merrell would find
Faith Gaudy for the opening goal in the ninth minute, giving CCU the early 1-0 advantage. A brilliant long throw from
Jordyn Rollins would find the head of Merrell, flicked onto a sprinting Gaudy, diving to push the ball past the keeper.
Colorado Christian continued to push forward, creating chance after chance throughout the first half.
Kayla Truong would put a shot on target early, followed by attempts from Merrell and
Olivia Maxfield, with Black Hills State goalkeeper continuing come up with the saves to keep the Yellow Jackets within striking distance.
Both sides continued to trade chances as the first half went on, with the Cougars putting nine shots toward goal compared to six from Black Hills State.
Kenzie Kunitz would make several key saves of her own to help preserve the Cougars' lead heading into the halftime break.
The second half started to see the Yellow Jackets find their footing, the first breakthrough coming in the 59
th minute. A corner kick into a chaotic Cougar box saw Ally Boysen of BHSU force the ball into the back of the net, leveling the game at 1 a piece. Just 25 short seconds later, a through ball would be played for Boysen, managing to get around Kunitz, scoring her second goal in under 30 seconds.
The quick brace silenced the home crowd as the Yellowjackets quickly found themselves on top 2-1.
The Cougars pushed for an equalizer, earning five corner kicks in the second half and finishing the afternoon with 13 shots to Black Hills State's 12.
Danel Hach would look to find an opening late, putting a pair of shots toward goal in the 79th minute, but the Yellow Jackets held on through the final whistle to secure the 2-1 win.
Head Coach
Caleb Cole reflected on the hard fought match, stating, "The team played a very strong first half, scored a great set piece goal, moved the ball well and tested their keeper several times. Second half, Black Hills competed hard and we gave up two goals back to back.
Although we controlled much of the game and created more, we didn't put away our chances. Excited for Faith, as she has played well and scored a good goal. Noelle and Danel have lead well in the midfield. We have to refocus, learn from the game, and come out on Sunday ready to compete against a strong Regis team."
The Cougars look to their next match up against #22 Regis, the sole ranked team in the RMAC. Eyes set on upsetting the Rangers, kickoff is set for Sunday, October 11
th in Denver at 2:30 pm MST.
