SOCCER OUTLASTS AIR FORCE 1-0

Sunday, August 29

Boulder, Colo.

4 p.m.

Colorado

1-0-1

Air Force

1-1-0

Air Force

Colorado

MIHALCIN AND SANTILLANA NAMED CO-CU ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

August 29, 2004 | Soccer

Box Score

By: CUBuffs.com

BOULDER - Junior defender Ashlie Mihalcin's header off an Ellen Falender corner kick in the 47th minute proved to be her first career game-winner as the 23rd-ranked University of Colorado soccer team held off Air Force for a 1-0 win in front of 512 fans in the Buffs' home opener at the Pleasant View Soccer Complex here Sunday.

The win improves the Buffs' early season record to 1-0-1 and drops Air Force to 1-1-0 overall.

"We played okay early on. Academy teams always play hard and we knew that," said head coach Bill Hempen on Sunday's match. "We got progressively worse as the game went on, but we found a way to win. You can't complain about a victory. We've just got to take this win into the next match. Ashlie is a great target because of her size. We didn't find her quick enough but finally got something out of the corner kicks."

"We've been practicing corner kicks a lot," said Mihalcin. "It's coming along. I saw it coming and went up and got it. Ellen hit it right where she needed to, and I made my same run, so I was there."

Colorado won the opening coin toss and seemed to have won the first 36 minutes of the opening half as the Buffs had the Falcons on their heels and combined to outshoot them 8-1, including the game's first four, and had forced three corners to Air Force's one. Then the tide turned as the Buffs didn't take another shot for eight minutes, but did take the last two of the half.

Mihalcin's header for the score was the first shot of the second stanza, immediately followed by a Darci Smerchek attempt in the 49th minute that went wide. With both defenses turned up, it would be another 10 minutes before Smerchek and Air Force's Raegan McDowell could attempt another shot, only to be followed by eight more minutes of silence surrounding USAFA keeper Jennifer Drew and CU goaltender Jessica Keller.

Colorado's Fran Munnelly nearly made it a 2-0 game in the 72nd minute when her free kick from 30 yards out forced Drew to jump on the goal line and tip the ball which ricocheted off the crossbar and back into play where CU was denied a follow-up shot due to an offensive foul.

Buff junior Kathryn Grandinetti made an attempt of her own to improve on the shutout with less than two minutes to play when she took a cross from freshman Brittany Dornseif and got a low shot off as she was sliding forcing Drew to make a diving save, one of her game-high six of the game.

"There's definitely room for improvement," said Falender on the Buffs' offense. "We shouldn't be at our best yet, but we have some big games coming up and we have a lot of things to improve on. And will."

Statistically, the Buffs outshot Air Force 16-4 and forced six corner kicks to USAFA's one while forcing Drew to make six saves.

The Buffs return to the road when they travel to the University of Denver on Thursday, Sept. 2 and Saturday, Sept. 4 for the first of four straight matches away from Boulder to take on Eastern Michigan (2 p.m.) and San Diego (10 a.m.), respectively, in the DU Invitational.