DENVER – The University of Denver women's soccer team upset [24/11] Texas with an emphatic 3-0 victory on Thursday night at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium.
"It was a clean game for us," head coach
Jeff Hooker said. "We thought there were some spaces and holes that we could exploit, and in the midfield, we took advantage of that. I thought we were just a really, really good soccer team tonight. We respected the game, we defended well as a team, we put in the work and it seemed like every final pass came through and the finishing was great."
Denver's win was its first over a ranked opponent since the Pioneers shutout No. 17 BYU 1-0 on September 26, 2013, and their first top-25 win at home since defeating defending National Champion and No. 2-ranked Portland 4-3 in Overtime on August 31, 2003. DU is now 8-23-3 against teams ranked in the top-25.
Senior captain
Hannah Adler (Oak Park, Calif.) netted a brace for her first two goals of the season and sophomore
Samantha Feller (Grand Junction, Colo.) added her second of the campaign to make it 3-0. Senior captain
Brittany Wilson (Littleton, Colo.) and Denver's defense held a Texas team that fired home four on opening night to just two shots on target Thursday. The Pioneers are now 107-3-3 when allowing two shots on goal or less (two today).
Adler's first of two goals opened the scoring 36 seconds shy of the half hour mark. Freshman
Camryn MacMillan (Littleton, Colo.) started the scoring opportunity, dribbling into the center of the box into a Texas double team. A deflection by a Texas centerback bounced right to Adler inches inside the penalty area, and the senior smashed a one-time rocket into the bottom left corner with her right foot to put the Pioneers ahead.
MacMillan helped setup Adler's second as well in the 54
th minute. Junior
Meg Halvorson (Englewood, Colo.) dribbled down the right touchline, cutting it into MacMillan 30 yards out. MacMillan picked out the run of Adler in the center of the park, who took a touch with her left and a touch with her right before picking out the upper-90 from 25-yards out to double Denver's advantage.
Adler's multi-goal match was the second of her career, two years and two days after she scored twice against Albany at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium.
Feller closed out the scoring in the 71
st minute courtesy of assists from freshman
Sydney Sharp (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) and senior centerback
Cheyenne Shorts (Denver, Colo.). Shorts dribbled across the midfield line from her centerback position, finding Sharp wide left. Sharp's cross cleared the Texas backline and found the run of Feller, who split the two left-sided Longhorn defenders. Feller trapped it with her right, let it bounce and chipped the keeper with her right for her second goal of the season and the Pioneers third tally of the night.
Wilson was asked to just make two saves in her 31
st career victory. The Colorado native has kept eight cleansheets in her last nine starts.
UP NEXT:
Denver will wrap-up a four-match homestand to open the regular season on Saturday when the Pioneers welcome Kent State to the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. MT.
DENVER TICKET OFFICE:
Tickets for men's and women's soccer games during the 2019 season are on sale now and can be
purchased here.
OUTSIDE FOOD/DRINK/PETS:
The University of Denver does not allow fans to bring outside food, drink or pets (with the exception of Bark in the Park Days) to the University of Denver Soccer Stadium.
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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