DENVER, Colo. – University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's soccer battled Metropolitan State University of Denver to a 2-2 draw on Thursday night after
Makayla Merlo netted an equalizer off an 90
th minute penalty kick.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: UCCS 2, MSUD 2
Records: UCCS (6-2-3, 3-1-1 RMAC), MSUD (5-2-4, 1-1-3 RMAC)
Location: The Assembly Athletic Complex | Denver, Colo.
Series: With Thursday's draw, MSU Denver leads the all-time series with a record of 9-8-2 with the Mountain Lions having won the previous six matches against the Roadrunners.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• It was the Mountain Lions showing offensive pressure and registering the game's first action after a UCCS corner 90 seconds in led to a shot fired off the foot of
Annie Louthan.
• As UCCS showed their intention of breaking through early, MSU Denver proceeded to do the same as the Roadrunners recorded one shot and three corner kicks in the opening 25 minutes. But the Mountain Lions defense held strong and kept the MSU Denver attack off balance long enough to let the UCCS offense get to work.
• In the 29
th minute, the Mountain Lions pushed hard down the pitch with
Jadyn LeDoux forcing Roadunner keeper Kylie Bach to quickly clear the ball out of the box to a streaking
Abby Barhydt who intercepted the pass and sent a rocket into the right side of net for a 1-0 UCCS advantage.
• With the Roadrunners facing the 1-0 deficit, they amped up the offense with three more shots before intermission but the Mountain Lion backline maintained the first half shutout to keep momentum in UCCS' favor.
• Out of the half, MSU Denver picked up where they left off with the Roadrunners registering two shots and three corners before
Alexis Walker and MSUD's Elli Zimmer got tangled in the box at the 57:45 mark, leading to a converted penalty kick by Zimmer and the Roadrunners to even things up, 1-1.
• At the 71
st minute, MSU Denver swung momentum back in their direction as an unfortunate deflection off a Mountain Lion in the box redirected into net to give Tessa Killmon and the Roadrunners the go-ahead score, 2-1.
• With the Mountain Lions' backs against the wall and time winding down, UCCS forced their way to the Roadrunners' side of the field with Barhydt notching a shot right before Merlo had the opportunity to net an equalizer of her own. As the redshirt sophomore was hunting down the ball in the box in the 90
th minute, Merlo was fouled and given a chance at a penalty kick where she went right frame to net a no-doubter for the 2-2 draw.
STATS FROM THE DAY:
• UCCS was outshot 14-6 by MSUD with the Roadrunners also holding the advantage in shots on goal, 3-2, and corner kicks 7-4.
• MSUD's Katy Coats and Luna Garcia recorded a game-high three shots. Five different Mountain Lions registered shots in the contest with
Abby Barhydt notching a team-high two shots.
• Barhydt and Makayla walk away with two points each off their goals in the match.
• Both UCCS and MSUD were 1-for-1 on PKs Thursday night.
• Alexis Walker comes away with the lone save in the match as she moves to a 6-2-3 record for the season.
• Six different Mountain Lions played the full 90 minutes.
BEYOND THE BOX:
• Barhydt nets her first goal of the season and her second in the black & gold.
• Merlo nets a PK for the second straight match and is now a perfect 3-for-3 on PKs in her Mountain Lion career.
• UCCS becomes the fourth team this season to hold the Roadrunners to three shots on goal or less.
• Annie Louthan,
Jade Kinsey, and
Zoe Sims have played the whole 90 minutes in three consecutive matches.
UP NEXT
UCCS women's soccer will be back on the road Sunday, Oct. 2 as the Mountain Lions prepare to take on Black Hills State University for an 11 a.m. match inside Ronnie Theisz Field.
SOCIAL:
Twitter - @GoMountainLions
Instagram - @gomountainlions
Facebook – Go Mountain Lions
As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 16 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
