SOCCER HANDS KANSAS 2-1 LOSS

Friday, October 17

Boulder, Colo.

3:30 p.m.

Colorado

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

Kansas

11-4-1, 3-2-2Big 12

Kansas

Colorado

Photo by: CUBuffs.com

October 17, 2003 | Soccer

Box Score

By: CUBuffs.com

BOULDER - Junior Ellen Falender came off the bench and scored her first goal of the season and senior Orly Ripmaster the gamewinner, as the 12th-ranked University of Colorado soccer team won it's school record 12th game of the season 2-1 over Kansas in front of 1,177 fans at the Pleasant View Soccer Complex here Friday.

The win ended a two-year Colorado draught against the Jayhawks who won both the 2001 and '02 meetings between the two programs.

Colorado had Kansas on its heels to start the game, taking four corners and two shots in the first 20 minutes before the Jayhawks could let their second shot of the game off.

There was a break in the action in the 20th minute when KU's Danika Erickson was ejected when she brought Orly Ripmaster down 25 yards out, halting Ripmaster's probable breakaway to the goal, giving the Buffs the man-up advantage for the remainder of the game. Kansas head coach Mark Francis' reaction to the call also warranted a caution to the Jayhawk bench.

The Buff defense was stifling in the first half, as junior Darci Smerchek and freshman Laura Munnelly all but shut down KU and Big 12 leading scorer Caroline Smith, who had just two touches on the ball the first half before she was substituted for in the 21st minute. She would re-enter the game at halftime, just find her way back to the KU sideline 12 minutes later in frustration.

Buff junior Ellen Falender broke the stalemate in the 38th minute when Jessica Ceresino, who had just come into the game for Ripmaster on the right flank, served Jen Thais who served Falender who was alone in the center of the box and one-timed her first goal of the season over the fingertips of Kansas keeper Meghan Miller into the upper right corner.

Colorado would go into the halftime break with the 1-0 lead, but despite being a man-up, would find itself challenged, and on its heels, most of the second half.

Rachel Gilfillan had the Jayhawks' best chance to even the score when a CU defensive breakdown allowed the forward to get a shot off that ricocheted off the left post and out of bounds in the 58th minute. Four straight KU fouls ensued just outside the box the latter giving Fran Munnelly a direct kick in the 61st minute that was blocked.

But it would be Ripmaster who would give the Buffs some breathing room when Katie Griffin found Ripmaster alone in the right corner of the box who laid a low shot into the left corner when Miller had been drawn to the right post.

The two-goal margin lasted just over nine minutes before Kansas' Holly Gault worked her way through CU's defense and her second shot of the game converted on the opposite post from CU keeper Jessica Keller in the 87th minute of play.