Much like her coach last month, senior forward Kaitlin Bast (Centennial, Colo.) professed ignorance in the immediate aftermath of surpassing a remarkable milestone.
Saturday proved to be a landmark day for the University of Denver women's soccer program in general and Bast in particular, as the senior collected five points on two goals and one assist to lead the Pioneers to a 3-1 victory against Colorado College in the NCAA Tournament First Round.
Not only was the victory only the second in NCAA Tournament play for the Pioneers-in the program's first national tournament home game, no less-but Bast's big game allowed the senior to become just the third DU player to compile at least 100 points in her career.
The Pioneers will look to keep their season alive when they face Maryland in a second-round match Friday in Palo Alto, Calif. The winner will face either host Stanford or Santa Clara on Sunday.
"It was just so cool, because I wanted one last game in front of my friends and family, and I got that," Bast said. "Everything just kind of came together perfectly. Winning meant more than anything. But it was still cool to get the two goals. I didn't even know about the 100 points until after, but that was cool too."
With 104 career points, Bast trails only Taryn Hemmings (112) and Annette Wagner (116) on DU's all-time scoring list. Bast is tied for third with Wagner in career goals with 41 for the Pioneers, but another big game against Maryland might draw Bast alongside the program's all-time leading goal-scorers, Hemmings and Kathy Conklin (42 apiece).
A graduate of Arapahoe High School, just a short drive south along University Boulevard from the DU campus, Bast has put together a career marked by consistency at an incredibly high level. She burst on the scene as a freshman in 2009 by recording 12 goals and seven assists to earn a spot on the All-Sun Belt Conference First Team. She earned the SBC Player of the Year award in 2010 after tallying 14 goals and four assists.
One wonders just how out-of-reach some of Bast's career totals might be if not for an injury that limited her to six games as a junior last year. Bast rebounded this season as if she hadn't missed a single minute, teaming with junior forward Kristen Hamilton (Littleton, Colo.), who was named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2012, to form one of the most formidable scoring tandems in the nation.
While Hamilton carried the Pioneers' attack through much of the early portions of the season, Bast has impressed coach Jeff Hooker with her ability to take advantage of the extra attention opposing defenses began throwing at Hamilton.
"(Bast) plays her best games in the biggest games, and that's what you really like to see," said Hooker, who notched his 300th win at DU last month. "She has, along with Kristen, this ability to really not care about who scores the goals or who gets the assists. She's one I thought was probably the most gutted after the WAC Championship loss, and then the most excited when we got back in. Had we not had her, we'd be in a lot of trouble right now."
The daughter of longtime Arapahoe High School girls soccer coach Kirk Bast, the senior has recorded seven goals and two assists over the past seven games, getting held without a point during that stretch only in DU's 1-0 loss against Utah State in the WAC Final.
"I had a good freshman year, but then things didn't click right away for us," said Bast, referring to her working relationship with Hamilton. "But this year, it's been awesome. We finally figured it out and I love playing with her. I've never connected so well with another forward, and that has been so much fun. I get really lucky because she definitely draws a lot of attention."
Follow Pat Rooney on Twitter: @prooney07
