DENVER The No. 14 University of Denver women’s soccer team gave South Dakota State its first loss in conference play on Friday night with a 4-0 victory. The Pioneers improved to 15-1-1 on the season and 6-0-0 in The Summit League. The Jackrabbits fall to 10-4-2 overall and 5-1-0 in The Summit League.

“It was nice to have a lead at halftime and really turn the mentality of the team around,” head coach Jeff Hooker said. “In the second half, I don’t remember us giving them a chance or a shot on goal. I thought it was an outstanding defensive half from our team. What we’ve found is when we play very good defense, we get all kinds of chances.”

In the 19th minute of the match, senior Nicholette DiGiacomo (Golden, Colo.) netted her 10th goal of the season to put the Pioneer up 1-0. Junior Nikki Pappalardo (San Diego, Calif.) crossed the ball into the box, where DiGiacomo collected the ball and slipped it passed the South Dakota State keeper. DiGiacomo finished the game with three shots.

Just 55 seconds into the second half, Pappalardo crossed the ball into the box and it deflected off of the foot of a South Dakota State defender into the back of the net to put the Pioneers up 2-0. DiGiacomo tallied an assist after passing the ball to senior Cassidy Larson (Eldorado Springs, Colo.) who slotted the ball to the far post to increase Denver’s lead to 3-0.

Junior Paige Diamond (Pleasonton, Calif.) finished a pass off of a corner kick from junior Caitlin Higgins (Boulder, Colo.) with less than six minutes left to play to seal a the 4-0 win. Senior Kristen Hamilton (Littleton, Colo.) finished the game with three-of-four shots on goal, while Pappalardo and redshirt-freshman Francesca Garzelloni (Parker, Colo.) each added three.

Freshman Cassidy Rey (Arcadia, Calif.) improved her shutout streak to six, making three saves for the Pioneers. Rey has yet to be scored on in a Summit League game. Senior Amelia Davis (Palisade, Colo.) ended the game for Denver, but did not face any shots.

“I’m very proud of them for the result. It’s fantastic; both teams were undefeated in conference and for us to come out on top is really nice. I was very pleased especially with the second half and the outcome.”

The Pioneers next host North Dakota State on Friday, Oct. 27 at 12 p.m. at CIBER Field for Senior Day.

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