Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 The NMHU Cowgirl Soccer team ended the 2012 season on a winning note with a 2-0 victory against the Thunderwolves of CSU-Pueblo on 10/28. The victory in Pueblo, Colo. ensured that the Cowgirls split their final road trip of the season in Colorado as they had lost on Friday, 10/26, to Metropolitan State University by a final score of 8-0. With the weekend split the Cowgirls, led by Head Coach
Justin Wagar, finish the 2012 season with a 4-8-2 in the RMAC and 6-10-2 in overall play.
The Cowgirls were looking to redeem themselves against CSU-Pueblo after their 8-0 loss to the Roadrunners of Metropolitan State University on Friday, 10/26. They got off to an impressive start in Pueblo, Colo. with a goal early in the game on Sunday, 10/26, against the Thunderwolves.
Crystal Schuder scored the first goal of the game for the Cowgirls in the fifth minute. Cowgirl defender
Lisa Clausen set up for a free kick from distance and launched the ball towards the penalty box. Her kick found Schuder who placed the ball in the bottom right corner of the net for her sixth goal of the season. The Cowgirls took an early 1-0 lead.
The Cowgirls found their second goal against the Thunderwolves in the 28th minute.
Crystal Schuder used her head to get the ball to striker
Marci Johnson who passed the ball on to
Jasmine Waugaman. Waugaman did not waste time in placing her shot into the back of the net on the right side of goal. Waugaman's first goal of the season gave the Cowgirls the 2-0 lead in the first half of the match.
Both teams continued their attacks but when the final whistle sounded the Cowgirls had triumphed in their final game of the season, taking the victory in Pueblo, Colo. by the final score of 2-0.
The Cowgirls fielded a very young team this season, with the majority of the players being freshmen. They had some ups and downs in 2012 but really began to gel as a team towards the end of the season. Despite their youth, the Cowgirls had some good leadership in 2012 from sophomore captains
Marci Johnson and
Autumn Woods.
The Cowgirls' defense played well all year, starting freshmen in the back for the majority of the time.
Lisa Clausen,
Allison Jordan, and
Molly Enenbach anchored the Cowgirl defense and started from the very beginning. The three freshmen defenders played tough and maintained their starting spots throughout the season.
A pleasant surprise, in the second half of the season for the Cowgirls, was the emergence of freshman defender
Clarissa Estrella. She got the chance to play and earned her roster spot with tenacious defensive ability.
The anchor for the Cowgirls' midfield was captain
Autumn Woods. She played every game for the Cowgirls. Woods played with speed and toughness all season, roaming the midfield to link up the defense and attack of the Cowgirls. Her leadership on the pitch helped to strengthen a young Cowgirls' roster. She finished the season with two goals.
The Cowgirls had an impressive offensive attack in 2012, led by sophomore striker and captain
Marci Johnson. Johnson led the Cowgirls with her 17 total points scored from four goals and a team-high nine assists.
Joining Johnson in the front three were two outstanding freshmen strikers.
Kelsie Roberts and
Crystal Schuder ended the season tied for the team lead in goals scored with six apiece.
Roberts played well in the center of the attack leading the Cowgirls' charge all season and scored some exciting goals in the air with her head. She was able to out leap almost anyone the Cowgirls faced this season and added four assists to her tally of 16 total points scored.
Schuder was an unstoppable force when attacking the opposing team's goal in 2012. She would simply barrel through opposing defenders on her way to the net. Schuder finished third in scoring for the Cowgirls with 15 total points from her six goals and three assists.
The Cowgirls gave defenders fits in 2012, attacking opposing goals with regularity. They suffered from their inability to put the ball into the back of the net despite an impressive number of attempts.
The Cowgirls overcame inexperience to make a respectable attempt against some very tough competition in the RMAC. They missed the RMAC post-season tournament by just one place, finishing seventh in the conference.
NMHU soccer fans have a lot to look forward to next season because there were no seniors on this team. The Cowgirls should return most of their players with a full year of experience. They have a great chance of returning to the conference tournament in 2013 and reaching their ultimate goal of winning the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship.
GO COWGIRLS!!!
