Soccer Battles to a 1-0 Win Over Baylor on Senior Day

Sunday, October 22

Boulder, Colo.

1 p.m.

Colorado

10-5-2, 4-4-1Big 12

Baylor

6-9-1, 3-5-0Big 12

Baylor

Colorado

Soccer Opens 2006 Season Saturday vs. UNC

Soccer Battles to a 1-0 Win Over Baylor on Senior Day

October 22, 2006 | Soccer

Box Score

By: Aaron Lopez, Denver Nuggets

BOULDER - The University of Colorado women's soccer team battled and played to a 1-0 win over Baylor in honor of seniors Katie Griffin, Laura Munnelly and Allie True on Senior Day here Sunday.

"We played a little bit too unselfish today, but we won--and we played pretty good," said head coach Bill Hempen. "I like the way we battled. We battled in the air; (Allie) True was great. Katie Griffin is 5'3'' and she was winning a lot of balls, so that was pretty awesome for her."

The Buffaloes would nearly get on the board in the first five minutes of the game. Griffin played a through ball up the right side to Alex Cousins who dribbled inside the 18 and hit a bullet to the right side of the goal but was denied by Baylor keeper Ashley Holder.

Freshman Nikki Marshall got things started for the Buffaloes when she took a ball from True and carried it across the 18. Once Marshall sprinted past two Baylor defenders she took a hard shot that hit the left post and bounced off the keeper in the goal, giving the Buffs a 1-0 lead.

Marshall, who broke the CU freshman scoring record on Friday against Texas Tech, is now tied with teammate Katie Griffin for the overall single-season scoring record with her 12th goal on the year. She set a new single season points record as her 12 points and two assists on the season give her 26 for the year, passing Griffin's 2005 mark of 25.

"It's just another day and another game," said Marshall. "I think we're out here playing for the seniors now. We made the Big 12, which was one of our goals, and now we have to go out hard at Kansas next weekend and then do well in the tournament."

The Buffaloes dominated the halftime stats with 10 shots, five of which were on goal. Baylor finished with six shots and two on goal.

Marshall would nearly end the game with her second goal as goalkeeper Kirstin Radlinski sent a goal kick her way in the closing seconds. Marshall took the ball from midfield into the box and as the horn sounded she was able to get a shot off, but Baylor's Holder managed to get just enough on it and deflect it forward, leaving the game at 1-0.

The second half, which proved to be a very physical half with two CU fouls to Baylor's eight and two yellow cards, would end scoreless, giving Colorado a 1-0 win in celebration of Senior Day.

It was a complete team effort for CU in the exciting 1-0 win over Baylor, as the Buffaloes honored seniors Katie Griffin, Laura Munnelly and Allie True in their final home game this season. With the win, the Buffs are now guaranteed a spot in the Big 12 Championships in San Antonio, Texas. Next week, Colorado will travel to Lawrence, Kan. to take on the Kansas Jayhawks in the final regular season game on Friday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m. MDT.

Colorado is now 10-5-2 on the season and 4-4-1 in the Big 12. The Buffs are in fifth place in the conference. This is CU's fifth-straight season with at least 10 wins. The Buffs won 10 games in 2002, 15 in 2003 and 2004 and 12 a year ago.

"We did it the hard way, with one goal," said Hempen. "But it's good to know we're going someplace (San Antonio, Texas)."