ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Denver women's soccer team got a goal on either side of halftime from
Kaitlyn Glover and
Sydney Sharp en-route to a 2-1 win over St. Thomas on Friday evening at South Field.
Scoring Summary:
DEN (7-5-0, 2-0-0): Glover 41', Sharp 67'
UST (2-8-1, 0-3-0): Huber 67'
Quotable – Head Coach Jeff Hooker:
"I thought St. Thomas came out and had a really good game plan today. They fought really hard and definitely played a role in us being a little bit off in that first half. We didn't have great touches, and our passing wasn't what it can be at the start. We tried to fix those things at halftime, and focused on just playing simpler to get us in a better rhythm. When you're off, you just have to work harder. The second goal for us was exactly that. Everyone involved with that play gave their max effort in that moment, and it's always nice when that hard work translates to success."
First Half:
Denver had the edge on the scoreboard at the intermission after a balanced first half ended in a 41
st minute breakthrough from inside the box by Glover. After a cross from the Denver left missed everyone in the area,
Riley Baker ran onto it down the right channel. Baker knocked it back in the box, and Glover was the first to the ball, beating the keeper from close range for her sixth goal of the season and the 12
th of her career.
The Pioneers outshot St. Thomas 6-5 and took two of the three corners in the opening 45 minutes.
Natalie Beckman took four of Denver's six shots in the first half, including a free kick that rattled the crossbar from a few yards outside the area.
Second Half
DU picked up its pace in the attacking half in the second 45, creating a couple quality chances early, and earning a couple corners.
Glover had the first clear-cut chance in the 61
st minute, getting 1v1 with the keeper, but her shot at a second goal of the match was stopped by Olivia Graupmann.
Denver did get its second minutes later when Sharp found the back of the net for the third game on the trot, netting her eighth goal of the campaign to put the Pioneers 2-0 up.
Vanessa Murray had her initial shot saved, but Beckman was the first to the rebound. Beckman got it back out wide to Murray who played it across to Sharp. Sharp headed home the Denver second into an open net.
The two-goal lead was short lived as the Tommies scored right off the kickoff, netting their first of the match 19 seconds later. Lexi Huber beat
Nerea Arrazola from just inside the area off an assist from Camryn Rintoul.
DU finished with a 15-9 edge in shots, including 10-5 on target. The Pioneers also took nine of the 11 corner kicks, earning seven set pieces in the second half.
Notes:
- Glover has scored six goals in 12 matches this season, extending her streak dating back to last season to 10 goals in her last 17 matches.
- Sharp has scored in 12 of her last 19 appearances
Up Next:
Denver will cap its season-long four-game road swing on Sunday when the Pioneers head to Western Illinois. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. MT.
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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