SOCCER BLANKS UTAH 3-0 IN NCAA ACTION

Friday, November 12

Portland, Ore.

5:30 p.m.

Colorado

15-5-2

Utah (1st Round)

13-6-3

Utah

Colorado

November 12, 2004 | Soccer

Box Score

By: CUBuffs.com

PORTLAND - Allie True's strike off a free kick in the 17th minute proved to be the game-winner, as the University of Colorado soccer team won their first-ever NCAA match, a 3-0 victory over the University of Utah in the first round of the 2004 NCAA Division I Soccer Championship under the lights on the University of Portland's Merlo Field here Friday.

Tonight's match was the second this season between the two programs, as the Buffs beat Utah 1-0 on Sept. 12 to clinch the title of the Wake Forest/Adidas Classic in Winston-Salem, N.C., and tonight's win puts the Buffs up 2-1 in the all-time series.

The win gives the Buffs their school-record tying 15th win and extends their season for at least one more game, when they take on the winner of the Portland/Weber State game on Sunday, Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. (MT).

"I thought our team played very well right out of the gate. It was really good soccer," complimented head coach Bill Hempen. "There were times later in the game when things weren't going our way, but we hung together and our defense helped preserve the win."

Fran Munnelly had the Buff fans on their feet in the ninth minute when she took a Katie Griffin serve inside the 18 and she one-timed her first shot of the game that went just high of the crossbar. A minute earlier a Griffin header off an Allie True cross from the left flank fell short.

Colorado continued to control the early pace of the game, outshooting the Utes 4-1 in the first 15 minutes of the game, but it would be CU's fifth attempt at goal that would give the Buffs their first-ever lead in an NCAA Tournament match.

Utah's Melissa Cresp fouled Griffin just outside the top of the penalty box, setting up a Colorado free kick 20 yards out, which True drilled to the left of the wall and into the lower left 90 of the Utah net past keeper Ashley Mason for the 1-0 advantage at the 17:38 mark.

"It was like the goal against Missouri (when her free kick from 20 yards out hit the crossbar and Tricia Regan had the putback with eight seconds in regulation). I had to stay over the ball, hit it towards the center and hope it goes in," said True.

True nearly made it a 2-0 contest two minutes later when CU's first corner kick of the game, taken by Ellen Falender, found True on the far corner of the 6, who one-time it to the left post, but a Utah team save was credited to Emily Campbell at the post on the goal line, and the rebound picked up by Mason.

The Colorado defense and keeper Jessica Keller were virtually unchallenged the first half of the opening stanza as Hailey Marsh's shot in the second minute was wide and then Keller made a grab in the 24th off a Kiley Jones shot as Marsh was rushing to challenge her. Brittany Dornseif stopped a Utah attack on the right flank when she blocked a cross by Lauren Field in the 14th minute.

By halftime, the Buffs had outshot Utah 10-2, with True taking four, just one shy of her career high, and Munnelly three by the intermission break. Utah's Mason was pressured to make four saves. The Buffs offensive domination was a welcomed change from that of the Big 12 Tournament last weekend, where Missouri and Texas A&M combined to outshoot the Buffs 27-6 in the first-halves of both games.

"When you're playing in your conference championship and your initial opponent has everything to lose, they play with a passion. And A&M came out like they had something to prove and played on the edge. It was good for us to come out in this direction and in a one-and-done situation, against a team like Utah, in a good soccer environment, play like we did tonight."

Utah came out of the break with a sense of urgency, and their motivation challenged the Buffs early, with Field taking the first shot of the second half in the 47th minute and her shot sent Keller diving off the left post for the save. The save went behind the goal line, setting up Utah's first corner of the game, and the corner kick taken by Whitney Dorsey was blocked and cleared by Laura Munnelly before reaching the net.

Colorado went into transition, setting up Ashlie Mihalcin's second shot of the game in the 49th minute. From inside the 18, her shot was punched and cleared by Mason who was running toward Mihalcin. The impact from the shot, deflected off her hands into her face and shook up Mason who left the game, sending backup Glennis Donnelly into her fifth game of the season.

Mihalcin followed up with two more chances to score, with a header from a Fran Munnelly free kick from 45 yards.

Perfectly placed inside the 6, and a minute later from 10 yards, her shot was rebounded off Donnelly with two Ute defenders to chase, clear and send the ball out of bounds on the far sideline in the 57th minute.

Colorado went up 15-4 in the shots category when a Jen Thais pass to Mihalcin was crossed from right to left where Maura Gentile, starting in place of an injured Kathryn Grandinetti who was lost to the season with a torn ACL suffered in the Missouri game, got a shot off just feet from the goal line which was picked up by Donnelly, who nearly gave up a rebound inches from Gentile, who was waiting for the putback, before falling on it.

Colorado was relentless in its attack, with Mihalcin beating McKenzie Joyner on the right flank and got off the cross which was picked up by Griffin, but a pair of attempts by the sophomore fell short, but set up another Colorado corner and the ensuring shot by Thais, her second of the game, saved in the 60th minute.

The Buffs' persistence paid dividends when Falender connected on her second score of the season at 68:37, a deflection off a Utah defender that hit the upper left of the net. Mihalcin sealed the win with just under two minutes remaining in regulation when a Utah foul resulted in a Laura Munnelly free kick. With the Utah defense pushed up, Munelly laid a perfectly served ball deep and wide to Mihalcin who cut on to the ball, beat the defense and flicked it past Donnelly for her school-record tying 10th goal of the season on her career high fifth shot of the contest.

"We just kept going at the (substituted) goalie," said Mihalcin. "She's a good goalie and made some good saves, but we knew one eventually had to go in."

In the end, the Buffs outshot the Utes 20-10, forcing each keeper to make five saves each, while Keller was challenged three times. Both True and Mihalcin connected on game and career high five shots, five on goal for True. The reward is the team's first-ever second round match.

"It's going to be a battle, no matter who it is," said True. "Portland is a skillful team, but we need to come out confident and keep the pressure on.

"If Portland wins, we know all about them and their tradition. If Weber State wins, it was because of an incredible effort and if they can beat Portland, they can beat us. I just hope that (our kids) have a lot of games left in them yet," concluded Hempen.