Soccer Claims Record 8-1 Win Over St. Mary's

Sunday, August 30

Denver, Colo.

11 a.m.

Colorado

2-1-0

St. Mary's (Calif.)

1-2-0

St. Mary's College

Colorado

Photo by: CUBuffs.com

August 30, 2009 | Soccer

Box Score

By: Allie Musso, Assistant SID

DENVER - Senior Nikki Marshall scored the quickest goal in program history, two Buff freshmen netted their first career goals and Kelly Butler recorded her first-ever two-goal game to contribute to a school record 8-1 win over St. Mary's on the final day of the DU Invitational here Sunday morning.

With the win, Colorado improved to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in the Big 12, while the Gaels fell to 1-2.

"We rose to the challenge after a tough loss Friday," said head coach Bill Hempen. "We came out today with the exact same energy on Friday but the difference was we executed today."

It wouldn't take long for Colorado to get on the board and Marshall would do so in record fashion. After St. Mary's took a shot on goal off the kick off, defender Kym Lowry immediately took possession and sent a ball to forward Nikki Marshall up top. Marshall carried the ball down to the goal line, cut in towards the box past a handful of Gael defenders and buried the ball in the back of the net, just 23 seconds into the game. Marshall's goal proved to be the fastest goal in program history by 29 seconds.

"I got a great ball down the line at the beginning and I just kept going and got a really good opportunity," said Marshall. "It was a really big confidence booster and really helped set the tone for the rest of the game."

Marshall showed no signs of letting up after her first goal and she notched number two just two minutes later. Colorado was awarded a corner kick and senior Ally Goodman stepped up to take it. Goodman played a short corner to Lowry, who sent it right back to Goodman out wide. Goodman crossed the ball to the front post of the goal and found Marshall, who one-touch volleyed the ball past the keeper for the quick 2-0 lead.

Marshall's four points in the first four minutes of the game gives her 80 total career points and moves her up to second on the all-time point leader list, passing former Buff Katie Griffin (2003-06) who finished her career with 78. She is now just four points behind former All-American Fran Munnelly (2002-05) who holds the record of 84.

"What makes a good team great is when we can play on any level, whether we're up 8-0 or down 2-0," said Marshall. "And we played great today."

In the fourth minute, Colorado struck again, netting its third goal in four minutes. Freshman Erin Bricker dished a pass out to Kelly Butler who fired a shot through the St. Mary's defense and into the back of the goal, putting the Buffs up 3-0.

Sophomore Kassidy Fitzpatrick, who scored the Buffs' lone goal on Friday, would produce CU's fourth goal of the half in the 25th minute. Fitzpatrick sent what she thought would be a cross towards the goal, but the ball drifted into the back of the net, over the Gael goalkeeper's head, for her second goal in as many games.

"We were really fortunate to have an early goal today, as opposed to Friday, and it helped us set the tone for the rest of the game," said Fitzpatrick. "I was going for the cross and got really lucky on the angle and I'll take the goal. I am just really happy for the entire team and how we played today."

Butler would notch her second goal of the game when she blasted a hard shot from 40 yards out for her first multi-goal game of her young career.

CU would strike once again before the half was over when the Buffs were awarded a free kick just 10 yards in front of the midline. Marshall stepped up to take the kick and sent the ball into the center of the box and a Gael defender tried clear the ball but accidently kicked it into the back of their own net for an own goal.

Colorado wrapped up the half outshooting St. Mary's 15 to four, with nine shots on goal to the Gaels' two. CU's six goals in the half is the most scored in a single half in program history, surpassing the five goals produced by the Buffs in the 7-0 win over Texas Tech on Oct. 17, 2004.

The Buffaloes came out quick again in the second half when freshman Amy Barczuk notched her first career goal in the 50th minute. Barczuk was on the receiving end of a corner kick and took a shot towards the goal, which was initially saved. The ball bounced right back to her feet off the deflection and she took another quick shot, this time going past the goalkeeper, allowing CU to claim the 7-0 lead with 40 minutes left to play.

Colorado would break the record of goals scored in a single game when freshman Quinn Krier netted the eighth goal of the game. Senior Kelly Menachof crossed the ball from the left side of the box to Krier on the right, who took a few touches and buried the ball in the back of the net for her first career goal. The eight goals marks the most goals in a single game in program history, surpassing the previous record of seven, dating back to 2004 in the 7-0 win against Texas Tech.

St. Mary's would keep the Buffs from recording a shutout as the Gaels got on the board in the 84th minute. Alex Ciliento got the rebound off a save by Kellis Johnson and poked the ball into the back of the net, which proved to be the final goal of the match.

Colorado outshot the Gaels 28-10, with 16 shots on goal. Senior goalkeeper Kara Linder recorded her second win of the season and picked up three saves in the 55 minutes she played.
Freshmen Shaye Marshall, Lexi Rakestraw, Kelly Moore and Natalie Sramek all saw their career debuts in the game.

"Our young players responded really well," added Hempen. "They never stopped competing. That's partially due to the opposing coach for keeping his team focused and in the game. We had to fight and to see our young girls fight the way they did is unbelievable."

The Buffs will return home on Friday, Sept. 4 and Sunday, Sept. 6 when they host the eighth annual Colorado Soccer Classic. CU will play host to Denver, Oregon and Colgate in Boulder.

Colorado will start the weekend against Denver at 4 p.m. on Friday. Come be a part of CU Soccer history as the Buffs try to Pack Prentup and set a new attendance record. The first 500 fans will receive a FREE CU Soccer t-shirt and there will be special concession deals for all fans thanks to CenterPlate. For a complete schedule, check out CUBuffs.com/soccer and remember to come out and Pack Prentup.