'
  • Sun, 10/28 | Women's Soccer vs. New Mexico Highlands L, 2-0 (Final) BX | RC
  • Fri, 10/26 | Women's Soccer vs. Colorado Mesa W, 2-0 (Final) BX | RC
  • Sun, 10/21 | Women's Soccer vs. Fort Lewis L, 3-0 (Final) BX | RC
  • Fri, 10/19 | Women's Soccer at Adams State T, 3-3 (Final - 2OT) BX | RC | LS
  • Sun, 10/14 | Women's Soccer at UC-Colorado Springs L, 3-1 (Final) BX | RC
Home  |  Roster  |  Schedule  |  Statistics  |  Recruits  |  Facilities
Posted October 12, 2008

Recap | Box Score

Women work hard for win over UCCS

PUEBLO, Colo. -- The CSU-Pueblo women’s soccer team snared an early four points in the “Steel and Silver Series” by completing the sweep of the UCCS Mountain Lions with a decisive 1-0 win on Sunday.  Marli Martin's (Sr., West Jordan, Utah) goal was enough to see off the challengers from Colorado Springs and raise the ThunderWolves’ RMAC record to 4-3.

 

The match provide plenty of early action, and the Parents’ Weekend crowd added considerable buzz as play moved back and forth from box to box.  UCCS put a shot over the bar in the 3rd minute, but Rikki Warmack (Jr., Pueblo, Colo.) countered a few minutes later by flashing a shot across the face of goal, resulting in a corner kick.  Becca Drennan (Jr., Fountain, Colo.) took the subsequent delivery and powered it over the bar.

 

The ThunderWolves, who recorded 20 shots on goal over the course of the game, had no trouble creating goal scoring chances, and the Pack’s midfield players controlled the tempo of the game quite well.  Melissa Christensen (Fr., Kenosha, Wisc.), Sarah Deziel (So., Eau Claire, Wisc.), Brittany Carver (Sr., Pueblo, Colo.), and Gabby Gonzales (Fr., Centennial, Colo.) all meshed well with each other in the center of the park to help maintain possession and limit UCCS’s creative opportunities.

 

As both teams settled into the game, tackles became heavier and almost every collision was rife with drama and tension.  A UCCS player limped off the field about 20 minutes into the first half, and a CSU-Pueblo player required on-field treatment soon after that.

 

The ThunderWolves were able to apply good pressure towards the end of the half.  Aubrielle Williams (So., Scottsdale, Ariz.) put a shot over the bar in the 38th minute, and seconds later, Ashley Thomas did the same.  With 30 seconds left in the half, Kara Morton sent a tempting ball down the middle of the field off a free kick, but her target players collided with defenders, and the ball ran through and out, ending the first half.

 

The beginning of the second half was marked by the same sort of play.  The women found themselves with ample possession and had little trouble finding ways to get the ball into the UCCS danger area.  They also showed admirable discipline in the face of a number of mis-timed physical challenges, including a late hit that drew a caution in the 81st minute.

 

In the 55th minute, Rikki Warmack broke through the UCCS defense, but was forced wide of the net with a physical challenge that left the UCCS defender needing treatment. 

 

After that, the ThunderWolves began to press forward even more in search of a goal.  Martin blazed over in the 57th minute, and the women generally began to look more threatening.  Through balls began to find their way into the Mountain Lions’ penalty area, and the ThunderWolf forwards looked intent on getting a goal.

 

Martin made the breakthrough in the 70th minute.  She took a pass from Warmack, dribbled to her right, looked up and lashed home her third goal of the season.

 

The CSU-Pueblo defense made the single goal an insurmountable obstacle, snuffing out UCCS attacks before they could develop, restricting UCCS to a meager four shots on goal for the entire game.

 

Martin, the goal scorer, was pleased with the result.  “We knew we were going to score eventually,” she said.  “We just had to keep going and we knew we’d get it.”

 

She also said that the team knew the game would be physical.  “We knew it was going to be tough, so we came ready for them,” she said.

 

Steel and Silver Series

 

This season's "Steel and Silver Series" is on a new, winner-take-all points system.  In each competing sport, the school that earns the most wins in head-to-head competition will be awarded four points.  If the head-to-head competitions are split evenly, each school will be awarded two points.

 

The school with the best cumulative grade point average among student-athletes will be awarded five points.  The school with the most points at the end of the academic year will be awarded the Ent Federal Credit Union Trophy, which will be presented in the home city of the winning school

 

Thanks to their season sweep of UCCS, the women’s soccer team collected four points in the series for CSU-Pueblo.

 

In the three year history of the series, UCCS has won each year.