The University of Denver women's soccer team, charged by a superb defensive effort and a three-goal first half, easily conquered Louisiana-Lafayette 4-0 in a Sun Belt Conference match-up on Sunday afternoon at Pioneer Field. The Pioneers set a school record with their 12th shutout of the season and tie Denver's all-time consecutive mark with their ninth in a row. The win improves Denver's overall record to 13-2, 6-1 in the SBC. The Ragin Cajuns drop their second straight game and fall to 5-9, 2-4 in league play.
Denver took control of match from the opening kick-off and never looked back. The Pioneer's operated their offensive attack at will and rallied for three goals in the opening half, which began when sophomore defender Lauren Sutton (Littleton, Colo.) fired a bullet from 40-yards out that found its way by Cajun keeper Leslie Beckman to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead at 17:32. Less than 10 minutes later junior Kristin Warren (Littleton, Colo.) scored to extend Denver's lead to 2-0. Warren's seventh goal of the season was set up when sophomore forward Jenni Harris (Littleton, Colo.) sent her patented somersault throw in deep into the box which bounced once before Warren short-hopped it into the back of the net.
"Getting the first goal of the game is always a big momentum builder," said Sutton. " I saw that the left post was open so I just went for it. This win was important for us to keep our confidence high going into the game against FIU. We know that it is going to be a tough battle, but we are excited to play them."
Denver's field supremacy continued and agitated Louisiana-Lafayette's forward line. The Ragin Cajuns were denied a legitimate offensive possession in the opening half and managed to record only one shot on goal in the period, before Denver struck for the third time when senior Molly George (Santa Fe, N.M.) tallied her team-leading 11th goal of the season late in the half to grant the Pioneers an insurmountable 3-0 lead at the intermission. Senior forward Leslie Montgomery (Wheatridge, Colo.) sparked Denver's offensive attack in the second half and registered her first goal of the season, ninth of her career, that gave Denver a 4-0 margin of victory.
"I think I just got lucky again," said senior captain George. "I have never been much of a goal scorer in the past, but the team is playing so well right now that scoring goals is much easier."
Denver was tested in the second half and allowed three shots, but the defense maintained discipline and poise down the stretch to preserve the shutout streak, which currently stands at 817:17. Junior keeper Erica Izard (Fort Collins, Colo.) recorded three saves in the match and earned her 31st career victory as a Pioneer, taking over sole possession of third place on Denver's all-time wins list. She also recorded her 28th career shutout and lowered her overall season goals against average to an astonishing 0.56. Izard leads the conference with a 0.32 GAA in league play and currently boasts a mark of 1.05 in 52 career games.
"This was a total team effort," said head coach Jeff Hooker, who earned his 112th career win at the helm of the women's program. "We challenged ourselves to come out and dominate this game from the start and they responded. It was great to see some key players come off the bench and make an impact and to see our veterans fill different roles on the field."
Denver returns to action this Thursday (Oct. 25) when they travel south to battle Sun Belt Conference foe Florida International at 4 p.m. MST. FIU holds a 2-0 advantage in the all-time series between the two teams. The Panthers defeated Denver 1-0 in the regular season and eliminated the Pioneers with a 3-2 double-overtime victory in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament.
