SOCCER HOLDS OFF IOWA STATE 1-0

Friday, September 24

Ames, Iowa

6 p.m.

Colorado

7-1-1, 1-0-0Big 12

Iowa State

3-6-0, 0-1-0Big 12

Colorado

Iowa State

September 24, 2004 | Soccer

Box Score

By: CUBuffs.com

AMES, Iowa - Jessica Keller made a game-saving dive in the closing minutes to preserve Ashlie Mihalcin's goal off a corner kick in the 10th minute as the game-winner as the Buffs fought off a late Iowa State attack to beat the Cyclones 1-0 in the Big 12 opener for both teams in front of 270 fans at the Iowa Soccer Complex here Friday night.

The win was the third straight against the Cyclones and second straight conference opening victory for the Buffs who improve to 7-1-1/1-0-0 to take their sixth straight match.

"We did a good job keeping the ball for stretches at a time which we haven't been able to do this season,"
said head coach Bill Hempen. "It turned into a battle when (goalkeeper) Jessie Keller saved the day...again, which she's been doing all season. At some point we need to give her more than one goal to work with."

Colorado won the coin toss and took the opening kickoff which was followed by a pair of shots minutes later by Kathryn Grandinetti that were rejected before junior midfielder Ashlie Mihalcin scored the quickest goal of the season off CU's second corner in less than a minute when Tricia Regan got a piece of a Grandinetti corner kick before Mihalcin's shot in the 10th minute hit the back of the net for her team-leading fifth goal of the season, fourth off a set play.

Iowa State responded with four unanswered shots, including a shot by Brittanie Waddell that was snuffed by CU's Jessica Keller, keeping the Buffs on their heels for the next 11 minutes before Fran Munnelly challenged ISU keeper Jo Haig to make her third save of the half in the 21st minute.

The Cyclones got their fans' hopes up when Kate Kirwen's header off the right post from a Kristina Baumann cross went just wide of the left post on an almost empty net in the 22nd minute.

By halftime the Buffs held the slim advantage in shots (6-5), but had five shots on goal, forcing Haig to make four saves to Keller's one. Colorado also had the edge in corners (4-1).

Following a second half delay of 20 minutes when the Complex lights went black during halftime, both teams came out of the dark trading possessions before ISU's Jess Villhauer got the half's first shot off in the 52nd minute. Colorado responded three minutes later when Katie Griffin took an Allison Kidd serve and Griffin's shot from the top of the penalty box was heading wide of the left post when Haig fell on it. Griffin's shot would prove to be the Buffs' only of the half and last of the game.

Both teams went without a shot for the next 26 minutes before Tricia Regan's header for a clear in the box was picked up by Kate Kirwan and her shot was blocked by Darci Smerchek and rebounded to Stephanie Kaphingst whose first shot of the game sailed high and wide left from the top of the box in the 78th minute.

"We wanted to come out hard to start the second half, but it just didn't happen," said Mihalcin. "At times we outplayed them, but a 1-0 game gets really hectic. The win didn't come the way we wanted, but we'll take it, especially on the road."

Iowa State would take the game's final three shots, starting with a Baumann blast from just inside the box that forced Keller to make a diving save off the left post, setting up the Cyclone's second corner of the match. Off the corner that followed, Kaphingst's shot was blocked before Deb Banakis's attempt at goal from the top of the box went high. Iowa State maintained the momentum when Keller was carded on the ensuing goal kick with 3:10 to play. Mihalcin put the game in the books, clearing the ball with Baumann right behind her as the clock wound down.

Colorado's league-opening weekend continues Sunday when the Buffs play at No. 8 Kansas, which was upset by unranked Nebraska 1-0 in Lawrence this afternoon, handing the Jayhawks just their second loss of the season with Brittany Timko's game-winner coming in the first minute of play, despite KU outshooting the Huskers 16-7.

"The good news is that Kansas had the same kind of game that we did. No one had a night off," said Hempen.