COLORADO WOMEN'S SOCCER OPENS BIG 12 SEASON WITH 3-0 WIN OVER OKLAHOMA

Friday, October 2

Boulder, Colo.

TBA

Colorado

3-5-1, 1-0-0Big 12

Oklahoma

5-4-0, 0-2-0Big 12

Oklahoma

Colorado

COLORADO WOMEN'S SOCCER OPENS BIG 12 SEASON WITH 3-0 WIN OVER OKLAHOMA

October 02, 1998 | Soccer

Box Score

By: Lindsay Anhold, Graduate Assistant

BOULDER - The University of Colorado women's soccer team (3-5-1, 1-0) earned their first-ever win in a Big 12 Conference opener today over the University of Oklahoma (5-4, 0-2) in front of 250 fans. CU senior defender Lauren Kulmann scored the game-winning goal, her first goal ever in a Colorado uniform, with freshman Jessica Wallow also adding the first two goals of her career.

"It is just nice to get a win in our first Big 12 match of the season," said Coach Austin Daniels. "We did a great job finishing in the first half. Lauren took a chance pushing forward like that, and it paid off. Jessica's two goals were also very well finished. We hope that we can carry on this start to the Big 12 season."

Kulmann started the scoring for Colorado early, when she finished a deflection from Oklahoma goalkeeper Ayn Tippin. The ball rolled out to the right side of the box, and Kulmann struck the ball low and finished in the right bottom comer at the 9:58 mark of the first half. It was her first goal for Colorado, although she managed to tally four before she transferred from the University of Hartford to CU in 1997.

Wallow also made quite an impact once she entered the game. She was substituted in at the 28:53 mark, and quickly took advantage of the playing time by scoring 43 seconds later off an assist from Kulmann. The Buffs earned a free kick which Kulmann took, sending the ball down the left sideline. Wallow ran onto the ball, and once Tippin came out, she placed the ball neatly over the keeper's head and into the back of the net for her first collegiate goal. "The fullbacks were trying to run an offside trap, but I hung back and the ball came forward," said Wallow. "I waited for the keeper to commit, and then just tried to place it over her head and on frame." In all the OU trap was very effective all day, as the Sooners sucked the Buffs into 12 offside violations.

Wallow, however was not through scoring for the day, as she took another ball 2:33 later and beat the Oklahoma keeper one on one again for her second collegiate goal at the 32: 11 mark. This goal was assisted by Colorado senior goalkeeper, Sloane Cox, who blasted a punt well past the midfield line, where Wallow ran onto it and finished by touching past the goalkeeper and tucking it away. This was the first assist of her career, and also marked Cox's second shutout of the season, tying the Colorado single season record of two, set by Nina Bjornstad in 1996. Cox also broke the career shutout record of two with the blank scoresheet today. The shutout proved to be a team effort, as Kulmann raced back after Oklahoma stole a ball in the CU defensive third, beat Cox and fired. The senior defender slid and kicked the ball out of the mouth of the goal just in time.

The difference in the game, according to sophomore Melissa Cartmell, was the play of the midfield. "We played really well, and our transition game was a lot better," Cartmell said. "In terms of getting up the field and then getting back on defense, we showed some real improvement. We were composed and were able to work it around the other team."

Colorado continues the Big 12 season on Sunday, Oct. 4, against Oklahoma State at 1 p.m. All Colorado women's soccer games are played at Pleasant View Soccer Complex in Boulder and admission is free. PVSC is located at the intersection of Foothills Parkway and the Diagonal Highway in North Boulder.