SOCCER DROPS 2-1 HEARTBREAKER TO #7 A&M

Friday, October 8

Boulder, Colo.

4:00 PM

Colorado

Texas A&M

SOCCER TO HOST KANSAS/OK-STATE IN BIG 12 WEEKEND

October 08, 2004 | Soccer

Box Score

By: CUBuffs.com

BOULDER - Senior captain Jen Thais netted the quickest goal of the season just three minutes and 38 seconds into the match, but Texas A&M's Ashlee Pistorius' game-winner in the 83rd minute to break a 1-1 stalemate, the latest regulation scored goal by an opponent this year, spoiled the Buffs' upset bid as the University of Colorado soccer team dropped a 2-1 heartbreaker to the seventh-ranked Aggies in front of 708 fans here at the Pleasant View Soccer Complex Friday.

"It's hard for our kids. But like I told them after the game, we can't let them beat us twice," said Bill Hempen whose Buffs fall to 8-4-1 overall, 1-3-0 in Big 12 play. "We had a lot of good chances, but we couldn't find it. We couldn't find the magic. They're pretty hurt. They spent themselves today."

"This was a tough game to lose. It was a good game. 2-1 games aren't a lot to complain about, but it's tough to lose that battle. It's hard, but you've got to move on," said Thais. "We fought everywhere on the field; it's what we've been lacking and we realized it and fought hard. They were a physical team and I think we matched them."

With the opening possession, Thais' third score of the season was on the game's first shot. Thais one-timed a Shannon Kellogg cross past first-team All-Big 12 goalkeeper Kati Jo Spisak, marking just the third time the Aggies have been scored on in six Big 12 contests this season.

"To be able to go into the defending champion's house and steal a win is huge," A&M head coach G Guerrieri said. "Colorado played really well today coming out and getting the early goal."

An all-out battle ensued as the Buffs were unable to capitalize on several opportunities that would have put the game away by halftime.

Shannon Kellogg nearly made it a 2-0 contest when she took a Darci Smerchek serve from the right flank and her header in the ninth minute fell inches short of the far post without another black uniform to put away the loose ball before Spisak could get the grab.

"If you would have been at practice the last three years you'd see how she works. She deserved this. She gives you an incredible effort," complimented Hempen on Kellogg.

A&M's Laura Probst, an Arvada, Colo. Native, had a pair of shots in the 13th and 22nd minutes that were answered by Colorado's Allie True in the 25th before another True opportunity fell short. An A&M foul just outside the penalty box in the 27th minute set up a Colorado direct kick that was taken by True, ripped through the A&M wall and nailed the far post. CU's Maddy Minnis headed the rebound which was snagged by Spisak just seconds later.

Spisak made the outlet pass and less than 20 seconds following Minnis' shot, A&M scored in transition when Pistorius' shot was deflected further into play and picked up by Emma Smith who had the putback in the 28th minute.

A&M regained its momentum and possession, but couldn't convert back-to-back corner kicks in the 30th minute, neither could Colorado in the 35th. CU goalkeeper kept the Buffs in the game in the half's closing minutes. She fell on a loose ball in the 37th minute, which was followed up by an Amanda Burke shot that sailed wide left in the 40th minute. A CU foul with less than five minutes in the opening stanza set up an A&M direct kick from 23 yards out and Pistorius' shot was saved by Keller, but the rebound off the save dribbled over the baseline, setting up A&M's third corner of the half. Kat Krambeer's corner kick was punched out by Keller and sent back in by Probst before being headed out by Laura Munnelly. Colorado's sixth foul of the game resulted in a free kick which was again punched out of play by Keller with 2:21 left on the clock.

With Colorado running a transition game of their own, a shot by Ashlie Mihalcin with two ticks remaining, had beaten Spisak, but was cleared by Smith on the goal line as time expired.

A possible 4-0 Colorado lead had just turned into a 1-1 ball game going into the halftime intermission with Colorado holding the edge in shots (8-5) while forcing Spisak into three saves to Keller's two.

The second half was a defensive challenge as it opened up with eight fouls, a yellow card being issued to Mihalcin after a scramble with Spisak and three substitutions in hopes of generating some offense on either side of the field before the first shot of the second half was taken in the 61st minute by Minnis which went high, excluding a cross that was punched out by Keller and cleared by Smerchek. It would be nine more minutes before another shot was taken, and it was by Buff Maura Gentile, whose shot in the 70th minute was blocked. Another attempt by Gentile two minutes later landed at the feet of Thais whose second shot of the game was picked up by Spisak.

Smerchek would make another key clear, on her knees this time, in the 73rd minute, away from Pistorius. Four minutes later A&M's Carrie Berend drew the corner and header by Madison Klovstad went just wide of the left post in the 78th minute of action.

With the pressure on, Colorado would take three of the games last four shots in the last 11 minutes of play. Kathryn Grandinetti worked through A&M defenders Paige Carmichael and Shannon Labhart before dishing off to Fran Munnelly and her second shot of the day was inches high of the crossbar in the 79th minute. With less than 10 minutes left, a combination between Smerchek and Grandinetti landed at Munnelly and her third shot of the game went wide left.

With 6:17 left to play, Pistorius, the Aggies leading scorer, took matters into her own hands when she worked her way through the Colorado defense on the far side of the penalty box and won a one-on-one battle with Keller with a soft touch to the middle of the net for the game-winner. Colorado scrambled with two more possession as the clock expired sending the visibly broken Buffs back to the bench with their second straight loss, third straight in conference play.

"There nave not been a lot of goals scored period. I think our goal was the best we've seen all year. We'll take that goal," said Hempen.

Colorado returns to north Boulder on Sunday at 1 p.m. to take on Texas (7-5-0/3-3-0) which fell on the short end of a 4-3 score at the only other unbeaten team in league action, Nebraska.