Sunday, November 13
Los Angeles, Calif.
2 p.m.
Colorado
12-8-4
0
at
3
UCLA (2nd Round)
19-1-2
1
2
F
Colorado
0
0
0
UCLA
2
1
3
Photo by: CUBuffs.com
Soccer Drops 3-0 Second Round NCAA Match at UCLA
November 13, 2005 | Soccer
LOS ANGELES - The University of Colorado soccer team's bid for a second round upset fell short as the Buffs dropped a 3-0 decision to first seed UCLA in the second day of play of the 2005 NCAA Division I Soccer Championships in Los Angeles Sunday afternoon.
"We came out a little tentative in the first 10 minutes," said senior midfielder Fran Munnelly. "Once we gained composure and more confidence we were able to get more shots on goal. We played a good team with a lot of individual skill and we worked hard."
The Bruins first goal came in the 11th minute of the game when midfielder McCall Zerboni carried the ball to the right flank and chipped it in the middle of the box, 12 yards out. CU keeper Kirstin Radlinski hustled off the line but forward Iris Mora was able to get her foot under it first and lofted the ball over Radlinski, giving UCLA the 1-0 advantage.
In the 25th minute, a Bruin advantage was pulled back due to a foul and head coach Jillian Ellis was given a red card for dissent and ejected from the game.
Junior defender Laura Munnelly was challenged from behind by a UCLA player and was called for a questionable foul in the 32nd minute of the game. Radlinski set up a wall to block the right side of the goal in order to protect the Bruins free kick from 22 yards out. UCLA's Kara Lang set up 15 yards back from the ball and drilled a shot on the ground, barely clearing the left side of the wall as it traveled directly into the lower left corner of the goal.
Colorado freshman Alex Cousins fought hard up front to challenge the Bruin defense in the first half. Cousins recorded two shots on goal but wasn't able to get a clean hit on a couple of balls in front of the net as she was knocked around by the UCLA defense.
The Buffs finished the first half trailing 2-0 with all three of their shots on goal, but they were unable to find the back of the net. Colorado had a chance to get on the board 10 minutes into the second half when UCLA's Danesha Adams pulled down senior midfielder Kathryn Grandinetti inside the box, granting CU its sixth penalty kick on the weekend. Munnelly stepped up to take the shot and hit a well-struck ball to the right of Bruin keeper Valerie Nelson. Nelson guessed correctly and went to her right and was able to come up with Munnelly's ball.
UCLA's third goal would come in the 63rd minute of the game. Once again, Lang's foot found a ball on the far right side of the goal and she blasted a shot from eight yards out that sailed into the upper left corner of the goal.
"Their offense put a lot of pressure on us," said senior defender Darci Smerchek. "We did the best we could and played them hard."
Colorado was out-shot 14-7 on the afternoon, however all seven of their shots were on goal as opposed to UCLA's five balls on frame.
The loss not only marks the end of the season, but the end of the careers of seniors Fran Munnelly, Tricia Regan, Ashlie Mihalcin, Darci Smerchek, Kathryn Grandinetti and Jessica Keller. With the 2005 campaign in the books, the Buffs finished with a record of 12-8-4 and will now take some time off the pitch before looking ahead to the 2006 season.
"It hasn't really hit me yet," said Munnelly as she thought about how this season has come to an end. "(Jessica) Keller told me that we're going to remember the good times off the field and the great things that we did on the field, not the missed PK's or missed goals. This shows the character of our team and how well we got through everything and it is a tribute to every person on this team from the ground up."
"We came out a little tentative in the first 10 minutes," said senior midfielder Fran Munnelly. "Once we gained composure and more confidence we were able to get more shots on goal. We played a good team with a lot of individual skill and we worked hard."
The Bruins first goal came in the 11th minute of the game when midfielder McCall Zerboni carried the ball to the right flank and chipped it in the middle of the box, 12 yards out. CU keeper Kirstin Radlinski hustled off the line but forward Iris Mora was able to get her foot under it first and lofted the ball over Radlinski, giving UCLA the 1-0 advantage.
In the 25th minute, a Bruin advantage was pulled back due to a foul and head coach Jillian Ellis was given a red card for dissent and ejected from the game.
Junior defender Laura Munnelly was challenged from behind by a UCLA player and was called for a questionable foul in the 32nd minute of the game. Radlinski set up a wall to block the right side of the goal in order to protect the Bruins free kick from 22 yards out. UCLA's Kara Lang set up 15 yards back from the ball and drilled a shot on the ground, barely clearing the left side of the wall as it traveled directly into the lower left corner of the goal.
Colorado freshman Alex Cousins fought hard up front to challenge the Bruin defense in the first half. Cousins recorded two shots on goal but wasn't able to get a clean hit on a couple of balls in front of the net as she was knocked around by the UCLA defense.
The Buffs finished the first half trailing 2-0 with all three of their shots on goal, but they were unable to find the back of the net. Colorado had a chance to get on the board 10 minutes into the second half when UCLA's Danesha Adams pulled down senior midfielder Kathryn Grandinetti inside the box, granting CU its sixth penalty kick on the weekend. Munnelly stepped up to take the shot and hit a well-struck ball to the right of Bruin keeper Valerie Nelson. Nelson guessed correctly and went to her right and was able to come up with Munnelly's ball.
UCLA's third goal would come in the 63rd minute of the game. Once again, Lang's foot found a ball on the far right side of the goal and she blasted a shot from eight yards out that sailed into the upper left corner of the goal.
"Their offense put a lot of pressure on us," said senior defender Darci Smerchek. "We did the best we could and played them hard."
Colorado was out-shot 14-7 on the afternoon, however all seven of their shots were on goal as opposed to UCLA's five balls on frame.
The loss not only marks the end of the season, but the end of the careers of seniors Fran Munnelly, Tricia Regan, Ashlie Mihalcin, Darci Smerchek, Kathryn Grandinetti and Jessica Keller. With the 2005 campaign in the books, the Buffs finished with a record of 12-8-4 and will now take some time off the pitch before looking ahead to the 2006 season.
"It hasn't really hit me yet," said Munnelly as she thought about how this season has come to an end. "(Jessica) Keller told me that we're going to remember the good times off the field and the great things that we did on the field, not the missed PK's or missed goals. This shows the character of our team and how well we got through everything and it is a tribute to every person on this team from the ground up."
Team Stats
CU
UCLA
Goals
0
3
Shots
7
14
Shots on Goal
7
5
Saves
2
7
Corners
3
8
Fouls
6
14
Scoring Plays
Mora, Iris (9)
Assisted By: Zerboni, McCall
flick to Mora in center of box
10:40
Lang, Kara (12)
Free kick from 22
31:06
Lang, Kara (13)
shot from the right side
62:48
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
3
SOG
3
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
2
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
M
/ Soccer
F
/ Soccer
GK
/ SoccerD
/ SoccerM
/ Soccer
D
/ Soccer
GK
/ Soccer
D
/ Soccer
D
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