DENVER – The University of Denver women's soccer team and South Dakota netted a first half goal apiece in a 1-1 draw on Friday night at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium.
With the draw, Denver clinched at least a share of the regular season title but can earn the No. 1 seed and hosting rights for the 2022 Summit League Tournament with a win or draw on Sunday afternoon against South Dakota State.
Scoring Summary:
DEN (12-5-1, 7-0-1): Beckman 32'
USD (10-3-3, 5-2-1): Sullivan 29'
Quotable – Head Coach Jeff Hooker:
"I was a little disappointed to be playing at home and to go down a goal the way we did. I thought we had created some really good chances, and just didn't put it in the back of the net. I'm proud of how we responded after we gave up a goal on the other end to get the one back. We're disappointed to not get the three points. We created enough chances to win the game, we just didn't take advantage of them."
Inside the Box Score:
The Pioneers outshot South Dakota 21-9, including 6-4 on target. Denver had a 5-3 edge in corners, taking all five of its corners after halftime. The Pioneers also held the majority of possession, holding a 63-37 edge in the category.
First Half:
Sydney Sharp and
McKenna Dannenhauer earned the two best chances of the match in the opening quarter hour, both crosses from the Denver left that resulted in headers off the frame.
South Dakota opened the scoring in the 29
th minute on Maddison Sullivan's first goal of the season. Sullivan won a shoulder-to-shoulder challenge just outside the box with a Denver defender and took a few touches into the box, before slotting it into the side netting inside the far post.
Denver quickly pushed for the equalizer and got it in the 32
nd minute. Sharp drew a foul at the top of the D, and
Natalie Beckman converted the free kick, curling it into the upper right corner to draw the Pioneers level.
The goal for Beckman is her fourth of the season, the 20
th of her career and pushed her career points total to 84.
Denver outshot South Dakota 8-4 in the opening 45 minutes with both teams scoring on their only shots on target.
Second Half:
Quality of chances were limited in the second half. The Pioneers only got one shot on target in the second 45. Denver did put four on target in the two periods of extra time, including consecutive shots by Beckman and
Kaitlyn Glover in the 95
th minute that were kept out.
Notes:
- The Summit League regular season championship is Denver's sixth since joining the league in 2013. The championship is also the 12th Division I conference title for the Pioneers since joining the NCAA's top ranks in 1998.
- Beckman became the 15th player in Denver's Division I history to score 20+ goals in a career.
- Beckman's 84 career points pulls her to within 15 of the top-five in Denver's Division I history.
Up Next:
Denver will close out the regular season on Sunday when the Pioneers welcome South Dakota State to the University of Denver Soccer Stadium for a 1 p.m. MT kickoff. Following the game, Denver will honor its 10 seniors and two graduate seniors.
Tickets:
Denver men's and women's soccer single game tickets for the 2021 campaign are on sale now, and can be purchased
here.
Coronavirus Updates
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