Soccer Rolls Past Oklahoma With A 5-1 Record Breaking Win

Friday, October 2

Boulder, Colo.

4 p.m.

Colorado

7-5-0, 4-0-0Big 12

Oklahoma

6-5-1, 1-2-0Big 12

Oklahoma

Colorado

Photo by: Tony Harman

Soccer Rolls Past Oklahoma With A 5-1 Record Breaking Win

October 02, 2009 | Soccer

Box Score

By: Aaron Lopez, Denver Nuggets

BOULDER - Senior Nikki Marshall scored four goals and led the University of Colorado women's soccer team to a 5-1 victory over the University of Oklahoma here Friday and in the process set a new program record as she is now CU's all-time points leader with 91 career points.

With the win, Colorado improves to 7-5-0 and remains unbeaten in Big 12 play (4-0). In his ninth season coaching at the foot of the flatirons, CU head coach Bill Hempen now has 100 career wins at Colorado and 262 total career victories.

"We knew it was crucial to protect home-field advantage when we started conference play and the way we have been playing has been amazing," said head coach Bill Hempen. "The fact that we are 4-0 in conference plays means so far, so good.

"I think the team is in a good place. We had a little struggle earlier in the season but being undefeated in conference play is the only thing that matters right now. We are starting to execute the little things and so far it has showed in our record."

The Sooners (6-5-1, 1-2-0 Big 12) nearly found the back of the net in the 10th minute of the match when Whitney Palmer and Jordan White managed to sneak behind CU's defense.
Palmer played a quick pass out to White in front of the goal and she fired a hard shot on the ground towards senior goalkeeper Kara Linder. Linder quickly reacted and made the save and deflected the ball back into play.

Though both the Sooners and Buffaloes were equal offensively to start the half, Colorado would take the lead in the 21st minute of the match. Sophomore Kelly Butler got a cross inside the goal box and immediately volleyed the ball to forward Nikki Marshall. Marshall trapped the ball and spun around a Sooner defender, sending a left-footed shot into the bottom left corner of the goal.

Oklahoma responded right back just four minutes later when Palmer ran onto a ball served over the Colorado defense and sent a low ball into the right hand corner of the net, past the out-stretched hands of Linder, tying the game at 1-1.

Colorado would score again before halftime and never look back, once again with a Marshall-Butler combination in the 36th minute. Marshall dribbled the ball down the field towards the OU goal and slowed up, turned, and dished the ball out to Butler running in. Butler one-timed it into the back of the net, allowing Colorado to take the 2-1 lead into halftime.

Marshall, who already owns career records for total goals and game-winners, became CU's all-time points leader with the assist on Butler's goal. With 85 career points, Marshall broke former All-American and Buff Fran Munnelly's record of 84, who finished her four-year career in 2005.

"My dream was always to play Division I college soccer and I am so blessed for everything I have accomplished," said Marshall. "Coach [Bill Hempen] has always believed in me and has made me stronger than ever before, it has been an unbelievable opportunity for me."

Marshall and the Buffs, who have had only scored four goals in four Big 12 match-ups this season, showed no signs of letting up when they stepped back on the field for the second half.
Starting with a goal in the 62nd minute of the game, Marshall would break yet another school record, scoring three goals in just four minutes and 46 seconds.

Senior Kelly Menachof created the opportunity for Marshall and she made a strong move around an OU defender at the top of the goal box, carried the ball in, and centered a pass to Marshall who buried the ball in the back of the net for her second goal of the match.

Marshall continued to take advantage of the fatigued Oklahoma defense, netting back-to-back unassisted goals, putting Colorado up 5-1, with 25 minutes left to play.

With the four-goal effort, Marshall tied her own school record which she set as a freshman in 2006 against Clemson. However, her career-high nine points in the game broke her school record of eight points that she set in that same 2006 match-up.

"There is only one other person who has done what she did today, and that was her when she [Nikki Marshall] scored four against Clemson her freshman year," added Hempen. "Once she did that, I knew she had broken the record.

"Today she had the opportunity and she took it. Normally you see her pass and try to include every teammate she can but today she was aggressive and it showed on the scoreboard."

Colorado wrapped up the game outshooting the Sooners 18 to seven, and CU put 12 shots on goal to OU's two.

The Buffaloes will now look to continue their conference success when they travel to Baylor on Sunday, Oct. 4 and face the Bears in the first match-up of a five-game road trip.

"Road games are always going to be tough, especially in the Big 12," added Marshall. "We just have to take the momentum from this game and let it carry us through our road trip."