Box Score Las Vegas, N.M. - The NMHU Cowgirl Soccer team came-up with a big upset win against the NCAA DII 8th ranked Roadrunners of Metropolitan State University of Denver, on 10/14. The Cowgirls struck first with a goal early in the first half and added another goal later in the first half to take a 2-0 lead into the halftime break. With less than 15 minutes left to play in the game, the Roadrunners scored their first goal of the game, making the score 2-1 in favor of the Cowgirls. The Cowgirls' defense tightened up down the stretch and when the final horn sounded they had captured the 2-1 upset victory on their home field. With their win against Metro State, the Cowgirls, led by Head Coach
Justin Wagar, improve to 3-5-2 in the RMAC and 5-7-2 in overall play.
The Cowgirls opened the match with confidence and began to attack the Metro State goal early on. In the 8th minute, the Cowgirls' efforts were rewarded with a free kick on the edge of the penalty box. Cowgirl striker
Brooke D'Onofrio stepped up to take the spot kick from 22 yards out. She bent the ball over the wall and just under the cross bar, scoring a sublime goal for her first of the season, giving the Cowgirls the 1-0 lead.
The Cowgirls' defense showed up in a big way in the 22nd minute. The Roadrunners had a flurry of attacks on goal but were unable to convert thanks to two big saves by Cowgirl keeper Kayla Clark and the NMHU defense.
The Cowgirls regained their composure and extended their lead to two goals in the 34th minute. Striker
Crystal Schuder battled two Metro State defenders on the left side of the penalty box and dribbled into scoring position. Schuder laid the ball off to striker
Kelsie Roberts who used an athletic side kick to slam the ball into the back of the Roadrunners' goal. Roberts' team leading fifth goal of the season gave the Cowgirls the 2-0 lead going into halftime.
It was the NMHU defense's time to shine in the second half. They played with determination and composure in the face of a furious attacking onslaught from the Roadrunners. Time and again the Cowgirls' defense tracked back and thwarted attempt after attempt from the Metro State attack.
The Roadrunners finally got a goal back in the 77th minute. Metro State was attacking in the penalty box and kept trying to get the ball past the NMHU defense. The ball rebounded off of a Cowgirl defender and the Roadrunners' Maggie Rojas was in the perfect spot. Rojas settled the ball from eight yards out and used her right foot to send the shot to the bottom left corner of the goal. Rojas' second goal of the season cut the Cowgirls' lead to 2-1.
Metro State upped their intensity in the final minutes of the match, but the Cowgirls' defense would not break. Despite the furious determination by the Metro State attackers, the Cowgirls only allowed one shot as time wound down. When the final horn sounded, the Cowgirls had captured the upset victory from #8 Metro State by the final score of 2-1.
Head Coach
Justin Wagar was pleased with the effort that the Cowgirls showed on the pitch today. He said, “The girls did what they needed to early and took the lead. Then they played hard on defense to finish the game out and get the victory. Metro State played hard. They were the top team in the RMAC coming into this match and our girls worked hard to get a quality win at home.”
Metro State outshot the Cowgirls 19-8, but the Cowgirls' defense played superbly and only allowed the RMAC leaders one goal from their 19 shots. Cowgirl keeper
Kayla Clarke and defender
Lisa Clausen both played great on defense for NMHU.
Despite only taking eight shots in the game, the Cowgirls' offensive was composed and determined, making every shot count.
Brooke D'Onofrio led the Cowgirls on offense with her outstanding free-kick goal that gave the Cowgirls a boost of confidence early in the game.
Kelsie Roberts also played well offensively for the Cowgirls. Roberts was a constant threat to the Roadrunners and managed to convert the game winning goal for the Cowgirls, her team leading fifth of the season.
The Cowgirls will continue conference play on Friday, 10/19, as they host the Orediggers of the Colorado School of Mines in Las Vegas, N.M. The Orediggers are currently in fourth place in the RMAC with a 7-3 conference record and 10-4 in overall play. The game on Friday is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. Next weekend's games are the final home games of the season for the Cowgirls and they need the support of NMHU fans. If you can't make it out to Perkins Stadium to watch the Cowgirls in action, you can click
HERE to follow the game live on the America One Network.
GO COWGIRLS!!!
