SOCCER TAKES OWN CLASSIC WITH 3-0 WIN

BOULDER - With a 3-0 shutout over San Jose State, the 16th-ranked Colorado soccer team successfully defended its own Colorado Soccer Classic title while Denver handed Seton Hall a 2-0 loss for tournament runner-up distinction here Sunday.

Both Denver and Colorado went unbeaten on the weekend, but CU's goal differential (5) was greater than Denver's (4), in the determining tie-breaker, which mirrored last season's tournament finishes.

The win gives the Buffs their sixth straight, goalkeeper Nikki Resnick her first 'W' of the season and removes an asterisk as the 2003 Buffs now hold the school record for longest win streak at six.

'Records must be broken and hopefully we'll add on to it,' said head coach Bill Hempen. 'We played very well defensively, mixed up our game playing in the midfield and created more opportunities out of the defense.'

Colorado dominated from the opening kickoff, and outshot the Spartans 15-1, and held the advantage in corners (6-1) in the opening half. They made the domination official in the 16th minute when Fran Munnelly worked her way through a pair of SJSU defenders to take on Spartan's keeper Adrienne Herbst and place the ball in the low left corner of the net. CU's Orly Ripmaster had a shot to five CU a 2-0 lead when a Jen Thais pass to Ripmaster was headed from point blank distance, only to be snatched by Herbst. Kathryn Grandinetti gave the Buffs a 2-0 cushion in the 37th minute when a midfield pass from Laura Munnelly to Maddy Minnis to Grandinetti who pulled Herbst near the right post before placing the ball in the left corner for her second score of the season.

'I've already scored more goals going into Big 12 play than I did all of last year,' said the Kentucky transfer.

Less than seven minutes later, Laura Munnelly got in on another Buff goal when she served Ashlie Mihalcin on the left side of the box from the top of the circle. With no one between her and Herbst, Mihalcin hit the left side of the net for her second goal of the weekend. The three goals are the most scored by a CU team in a half since doing so against Alabama during the 1999 campaign.

'We're playing really well and working together and talking to each other more on defense,' said Munnelly. 'We're supporting when someone goes up and it's working well. Now we have some momentum going into Big 12s next weekend.

In this morning's first match, Denver made a run at Seton Hall keeper Buffy Wojciehowski early with back-to-back shots from Diana Brunkhardt and Lleane Grimditch in the second minute of the game, but would score on their next attempt, when Jamie Dierberger's header from a Jamie Norwood corner kick in the 11th minute. Both teams would combine for four more shots in the opening half, but would go into the intermission with Denver maintaining its 1-0 advantage.

It would remain a one-goal game for the next 76 minutes, but Seton Hall wouldn't go down without a fight. On the offensive, the Pirates missed a scoring opportunity with 12 minutes to play when an Aubrey Ellzey pass to Rita Massot was converted into a one-on-one with a DU defender who broke up the play before the wanted shot. That effort was followed by a Seton Hall corner and a cross from the left flank with minutes remaining, but broken up by the Pioneers' defense. Denver's Amanda Groneman put the exclamation point on the game in the 87th minute when she picked up the ball in front of the net during a scramble and placed it behind Wojciehowski.

With the non-conference season in the books, the Buffs kickoff Big 12 action on Friday, Sept. 26 when they host Missouri in a 4 p.m. start at north Boulder's Pleasant View Soccer Complex. The homestand continues Sunday when CU hosts Iowa State at 1 p.m.

'We're ready. We've been tested on the road and at home and now it's showtime. We'll see what they've got. I was a little concerned coming into today's game, but these girls played hard and had that extra 'umph'. This is a good win for us,' concluded Hempen.

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Team Stats

Fran Munnelly

Kathryn Grandinetti

Ashlie Mihalcin

Maddy Minnis

Players Mentioned

Kathryn Grandinetti

Ashlie Mihalcin

Maddy Minnis

Fran Munnelly

Laura Munnelly

Nikki Resnick

Orly Ripmaster

Jen Thais

Players Mentioned

Kathryn Grandinetti

Ashlie Mihalcin

Maddy Minnis

Fran Munnelly

Laura Munnelly

Nikki Resnick

Orly Ripmaster

Jen Thais