Over the past three matches, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs displayed its improving defense. Sunday at Four Diamonds Sports Complex, the offense stole the show.
The Mountain Lions scored early and often, winning their third consecutive match by pummeling the Colorado State-Pueblo Thunderwolves 4-1. It was CU-Colorado Springs' highest offensive output since a 5-0 win over Northwest Nazarene on Oct. 21, 2000. The last time the Mountain Lions scored so much against a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opponent was on Oct. 29, 1999, when they topped Colorado School of Mines 6-3.
Sunday's offensive explosion was far from a one- or two-man show. It was more like a Cecil B. DeMille epic with a cast of thousands.
"We had good pace today and were countering with numbers," said senior midfielder
Ryan Slaughter. "The flow of the game was quick enough that we got everyone involved."
Slaughter,
Jared Blackney,
Art Cutter and
Martin Kristiseter each scored goals. Slaughter, Blackney, Cutter and
Eric Foulk had an assist apiece. Fourteen players registered a shot. And to top it off, backup goalkeeper
Chris Hovasse came into the game -- as a forward.
The Mountain Lions got on the scoreboard just 10 minutes, 33 seconds into the match when Foulk sent a high cross that beat CSU-Pueblo goalkeeper Mike Maravez but deflected off the crossbar. Blackney, who had bulled his way in front of the net, was in perfect position to knock in the rebound.
Less than five minutes later, Slaughter beat his man on the left side and found a wide-open Kristiseter in perfect position at the far post. After the goal, the Mountain Lions lost a little focus but were able to maintain their lead because of a pair of brilliant saves by goalkeeper
Matt Mitchell.
"Once we got those first two goals, we kind of took it for granted," said Slaughter "At halftime (coach Flavio Mazzetti) had to rally the troops."
Whatever Mazzetti said during the break worked. Less than four minutes into the second half, Cutter collected Blackney's deflected shot and gave CU-Colorado Springs a 3-0 lead.
"(Cutter's) a rookie and he's got three goals already, which is really awesome," said Slaughter about the freshman from Liberty High School in Colorado Springs. "I'm really proud of him for stepping up."
Cutter also factored into the game's fourth goal, as his deflection scooted right to a grateful Slaughter.
"I was in the right place at the right time," said Slaughter.
But being in the right place had nothing to do with luck. CU-Colorado Springs was relentless in swarming around the goal throughout the match. Muravez had more unwanted company than a guy who brings a box of Krispy Kremes to the office.
With a four-goal lead and the entire Mountain Lions bench, including Hovasse, on the field, CSU-Pueblo's Tommy Lauhoff capitalized on a defensive breakdown and the rock-hard ground at Four Diamonds Sports Complex to spoil Mitchell's shutout.
"The field certainly doesn't help," said Mitchell, who had a career-high 10 saves and has a 0.67 goals-against average over the past three matches. "The ball's bouncing around so it's hard to get a bead on it. It was just one of those things where it just kind of fell the attacker's way."
Despite the disappointment of losing the shutout, nobody was pointing fingers except to say "you da man."
The camaraderie is probably the best thing we've got going for us right now," said Mitchell.
And a little offense doesn't hurt.
