Buffs Top Tigers 3-2 In Women's Soccer Action

Friday, October 14

Boulder, Colo.

3 p.m.

Colorado

8-5-2, 4-2-0Big 12

Missouri

7-5-3, 2-3-2Big 12

Missouri

Colorado

Photo by: CUBuffs.com

October 14, 2005 | Soccer

Box Score

By: Lindsay Lew, Associate SID

BOULDER, Colo. - The University of Colorado women's soccer team jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and withstood a furious University of Missouri rally to claim its third-straight win, 3-2, here Friday afternoon.

"It has been win one, lose one, and it's better to win Friday," said CU head coach Bill Hempen following the contest. "It's easier to win on Sunday when you won on Friday."

Colorado (8-5-2, 4-2 Big 12) got the early lead when senior Kathryn Grandinetti played a perfectly placed corner kick from the left side into the Missouri goal box. Her service found the head of freshman Nikki Keller, who nodded the ball in for her fourth goal of the season at the 27:41 mark of the first half.

"It feels awesome to contribute as a freshman, especially this weekend, being senior weekend," said Keller. "The ball sort of hit me in an awkward spot, because the goalie pushed me from behind, but it was a perfect ball and we got it done."

Colorado got their second goal from junior Katie Griffin. Griffin took a pass down the right flank from freshman Michelle Wenino, and after a perfect first touch she blasted a bending shot from the right top side of the penalty box, that bent its way in high for her seventh goal of the season at the 36:14 mark.

Griffin had almost given CU a 2-0 lead minutes earlier when she beat Missouri's goalkeeper Laura Beuhrig and knocked a shot towards the open net. The Tigers' defender raced back to the goal and cleared it off the goal line before it rolled in.

"I had a lot of momentum going towards the goal," said Griffin of her missed opportunity. "You make some, you miss some, but you've got to keep going hard and keep your head up. You've got to keep working hard no matter how many goals you've scored or missed."

Halftime wrapped up a 2-0 affair, with the Buffs earning 10 shots to Missouri's eight. CU keeper Jessica Keller made just one first half save to Beuhrig's three.

CU got its third goal of the game early in the second half. Sophomore Allison Kidd took a ball off the head of senior Fran Munnelly and carried it a step before hitting a hard and low shot into the left side of the goal. It was Kidd's second goal of the season, and Munnelly's fourth assist of the year to make the score 3-0 with 40 minutes to play.

Things then got interesting as the Tigers (7-5-2, 2-3-2 Big 12) clawed their way back into the match thanks to excellent play on a pair of corner kicks. First at the 63:07 mark, Elyse Nikonchuk blasted a volley off the deflection off the head of her teammate Jennifer Nobis to put the score at 3-1. Then it was Nobis with the soaring header off a corner from Erica Pusch at the 72:24 mark. Nobis leaped up on the left side of the goal box and placed a header perfectly into the upper 90 to push the score to 3-2. That was as close as it would get.

Colorado's defense held, with the offense generating a few more chances that they did not finish, to keep the final score at 3-2. This marks CU's third straight win and the second straight over the Tigers.

CU will celebrate Senior Day this Sunday, October 16, when they take on the University of Kansas at 1 p.m. at Prentup Field. Colorado's six seniors, Kathryn Grandinetti, Jessica Keller, Ashlie Mihalcin, Fran Munnelly, Tricia Regan and Darci Smerchek will play their final home matches of their careers. Admission and parking to all CU women's soccer games is free.