On a damp, chilly night at Katy O. Rady Field, host Western Colorado and visiting Colorado State University Pueblo opened their Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference women's soccer seasons Thursday, playing to a 1-1 draw.
The Mountaineers dominated play across the opening 45 minutes of action, accumulating possession at a rate of 69 percent, earning six corner kick opportunities while allowing none, and forging a 14-3 edge in total shots.
However, it wasn't until the 44th minute that Western finally broke through.
On its fourth corner kick of the half, the ball found Natsuki Murakami deep in the box, but her shot was blocked by a CSU Pueblo defender. It seemed like an eternity, but it was only a moment or two that the ball sat with no ThunderWolf clearing it, allowing Jordan Welsh to step into it with a quick shot that rifled into the back netting in the right corner.
Western got another shot off less than a minute later, earned two more corner chances, and finished the half with yet another shot, one that drifted just right of the post before the horn.
As in command as they were in the first half, Western's attack faltered over the final 45 minutes as Pueblo outshot the Mountaineers 4-3, earned a 3-1 advantage in corners, and found the equalizer in the 77th minute on an unassisted goal by CSU Pueblo's Baylie Reedy on a defensive misplay in the goal box.
Though the victory slipped away, the Mountaineers did earn an important point within the RMAC standings.
This week
Visiting and ninth-ranked University of Colorado Colorado Springs used a second-half blitz to earn an 8-0 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference women's soccer victory Sunday afternoon over the Mountaineers at Katy O. Rady Field.
Western is now 2-3-1 on the season. UCCS improved to 5-2-1.
Western fended off nearly every first-half challenge by the Mountain Lions. A goal early in the 10th minute was the only blemish on what was a stellar defensive effort over the opening 45 minutes of action, as UCCS got off 14 shots and Mountaineer goalkeeper Ashlyn Fitzpatrick made seven saves.
A nine-minute blitz to start the second half turned the defensive contest, however, as UCCS scored in the 48th, 49th and 54th minutes to expand its slim halftime advantage.
The gap could have been even wider, but Fitzpatrick made a diving stop on a UCCS penalty kick opportunity in the 53rd minute.
Three goals in the final seven minutes eventually pushed the Mountain Lions' final advantage to eight, a rebound for UCCS which suffered a 2-0 shutout loss two days prior.
Notes
Emily Gesick pounded two of Western's three shots on goal during the game, Alyse Kavanaugh earning the other shot on frame.
Fitzpatrick made nine saves in the game, with teammate Addison Blick making three stops after entering the game in the 68th minute.
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