Laura Munnelly

Kansas State

Sep 18 (Thu)

7 p.m.

Position:
Defender
Height:
5-3
Class:
Sophomore
Hometown:
Arvada, Colo.
High School:
Mullen

2003 second-team All-Big 12
2003 Big 12 All-Newcomer Team
2003 Soccer Buzz Freshman All-Central Region
2003 NSCAA Central Region Freshman of the Year
2003 Soccer Buzz Central Region Co-Freshman of the Year
2004 Preseason All-Big 12
2004 first-team All-Big 12
2004 NSCAA third-team All-Central Region
2004 Soccer Buzz first-team All-Central Region
2005 Preseason All-Big 12
2005 second-team All-Big 12
2005 NSCAA second-team All-Central Region
2005 Soccer Buzz second-team All-Central Region
2006 second-team All-Big 12
2006 NSCAA second-team All-Central Region
2006 Soccer Buzz first-team All-Central Region

SENIOR (2006): Munnelly capped a decorated CU career by starting all 24 games, leading the team in minutes (2,256), and leading the Buffs to the third round of the NCAA Tournament and the Big 12 Tournament final. She was named second-team All-Big 12 and second-team all-region. She totaled one goal, four assists and 17 shot attempts on the season. Her lone goal came against No. 22 BYU on Sept. 8. She had assists against Oklahoma, Wyoming, No. 22 Texas, and No. 11 Texas A&M in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals.

JUNIOR (2005): Munnelly was again CU’s stalwart in the back of the defense, starting all 24 games for the Buffaloes as a junior. She played a team high 2,237 minutes, and again was only substituted for when she was subjected to a hard foul in CU’s first round NCAA game against UC Riverside. She notched one assist on the year, providing service to Alex Cousin’s game-tying goal vs. Texas A&M in the Big 12 Championship game. She earned both second team All-Big 12 and All-Region following the season.

SOPHOMORE (2004): The preseason All-Big 12 pick was one of 17 players nationally who, entering the Oklahoma State game, hadn’t been substituted for in 2004, and her 1,658 minutes when she came off the field in that match after getting tackled from behind was fifth among those players. Her 2,121 minutes led all field players. Through her sophomore year, she started and played all but seven minutes of 43 career matches.

FRESHMAN (2003): The only player on the team (and just one of two players in the league) to not to come off the pitch, she logged a team-high 1,824 minutes. Controlling CU’s backfield, she was an integral reason opponents only got off 90 shots on goal and scored a program opponent low 14 times. Her two assists on the season game in back-to-back games, against Seton Hall and San Jose State (both on Ashlie Mihalcin scores). Half of her shots have been on goal. Dominant in CU’s backfield, she was one of two Buffs named second-team All-Big 12 and five named to the league’s All-Newcomer team and was a Soccer Buzz Freshman All-American Honorable Mention.

HIGH SCHOOL: In four seasons, Mullen went 61-14-3, the 2001 and ’02 Colorado 4A State Champions and ?03 runner-up. As part of the defensive corps, the Mustangs owned a .74 goals against average during the 2000-02 seasons and Munnelly added eight goals, 13 assists and 29 points on the offensive side of the ball. As a freshman Munnelly was an honorable mention all-state performer. During Mullen’s first state championship run her sophomore season, she was a First -Team All-Centennial League, all-state and was the Rocky Mountain News’ 4A title game’s most valuable player. As a junior and senior she repeated both her all-league and all-state honors. Munnelly was a six-time Colorado State Cup winner and two-time Region IV finalist as a member of the Colorado Girls Soccer Academy.

IN THE CLASSROOM: An English major, Munnelly had an in-season 3.0 grade point average in 2003. She was a member of the National Honor Society, the Spanish Honor Society and was a member of Mullen’s Honor Roll from 2000-02.

PERSONAL: Born April 18, 1985 in Wheat Ridge, Colo., Laura Munnelly is the youngest daughter of James and Elizabeth Munnelly of Arvada, Colo. Her father was a gymnast (parallel bars) at Northern Colorado during the early 1970s and her older sister, Fran, was a two-time All-American midfielder on CU’s soccer team from 2002-05. She enjoys reading, listening to music, snowboarding, arts and crafts, and rock climbing.