MACOMB, Ill. – The University of Denver women's soccer team got three goals from three different underclassmen to send the Pioneers past Western Illinois 3-0 on Sunday afternoon at John MacKenzie Alumni Field. Following Sunday's results, South Dakota State and Denver are level on points in the Summit League standings with one match left to play. SDSU heads to North Dakota Friday, while the Pioneers host Oral Roberts on Saturday.
"Today was one of those days where it was going to be difficult to get points on the road," head coach
Jeff Hooker said. "Western Illinois came out and played hard, and made it difficult for us at times in the first half. I thought that we were a little sluggish in the first half, and not as sharp as normal. After halftime I thought we responded well and played some good soccer and were rewarded for it. It was nice to see Abbey get her first career goal off an assist from Cheyenne. We will take the three points and go into our final league match ready for a chance to win at least a share of a conference title depending on the other results before us."
Denver took the lead right on 18 minutes as freshman
Samantha Feller (Grand Junction, Colo.) got back on the scoresheet for the first time since October 4 at North Dakota State with her seventh goal of the season to put the Pioneers in-front. Feller finished a cross from the left from freshman
Natalie Beckman (Denver, Colo.) to earn her classmate her fifth assist of the 2018 Summit League campaign.
Sophomore
Meg Halvorson (Englewood, Colo.) earned Denver its second goal in the 67
th minute, firing a 22-yard laser into the top corner for her sixth goal of the season and the 11
th of her career.
Freshman
Abbey Miller (Draper, Utah), who entered the match having played 43 minutes in four appearances, scored a third goal for the Pioneers to open her collegiate account. Beckman started the sequence with Denver's ninth corner of the afternoon. Junior centerback
Cheyenne Shorts (Denver, Colo.) won the Beckman corner in the air, and Miller got her foot on the end of the bouncing ball to bury her first goal. Shorts' assist was the third of her three-year Pioneer career.
Heading into the season finale next Saturday, Denver has 15 goals this season from freshmen and 21 of the last 26 goals have been scored by underclassmen, including all three on Sunday afternoon in Macomb.
Junior
Brittany Wilson (Littleton, Colo.) made two saves in her seventh shutout of the season and the 14
th of her Pioneer career.
UP NEXT: Denver will close out its 2018 regular season on Senior Day Saturday at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. The Pioneers host Oral Roberts at 1 p.m. MT, before honoring this year's senior class after the match.
TICKETS: Single-game tickets are on sale and can be purchased
online here, or by calling 303-871-4625.
PIONEER MOVEMENT: Fans interested in making a donation to the women's soccer program can do so by clicking here. Your contribution will make a direct impact on the success of YOUR Pioneers. Thank you in advance for your unwavering support of our student-athletes and their quest for excellence.
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