DENVER – The [-/23] University of Denver women's soccer team got three goals in the first 30:02 to run away with a 3-1 victory over Kansas State on Thursday night at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. With the win, Denver improved to 4-0-0 on the season, including power-five wins over Utah and tonight's game against the Wildcats.
Scoring Summary:
DEN: Baker 19' (Hyrup, Sharp), Beckman 21' (Feller), Sharp 31' (Beckman)
KSU: Goins 37' (Entz)
Quotable – Jeff Hooker:
"I thought the opening 30 minutes was some of the best ball movement we've ever had. It started with defending really well. If we didn't win the first ball, we pressed and got the second one. We did a great job of finding the other side of the field and creating 1v1s and 2v1s. We were very efficient, and got the ball in the right spots of the field.
"You don't want to go into halftime giving up a goal on our own set-piece like we did tonight. To make a mistake and give up a goal like that will hopefully make us better in the future. We were able to adjust a little bit at halftime, and I thought we were better defensively balanced on our own corners the rest of the night."
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First Half:
Denver got on the board in the 19
th minute with a header from
Riley Baker for her first goal of the season, becoming the ninth different player to score for the Pioneers this season.
Sydney Sharp won a tackle to start the scoring opportunity.
Addisyn Hyrup ran onto it down the Denver left and played a cross to the back post to the run of Baker who opened her collegiate account with the header just under the crossbar.
The Pioneers' top two goal scorers from the spring season combined for Denver's second goal to double the Denver lead.
Sami Feller won and ran through a tackle down the Denver left to start the scoring opportunity less than two minutes after the Baker finish. Feller crossed it to Beckman who finished her first of the season and the 17
th of her career to make it 2-0 in the 21
st minute.
Sharp, the only multiple goal scorer for Denver this season, netted her third of the campaign to push the lead to 3-0 in the 31
st. Looking for a brace, Beckman was 1v1 with the keeper, but her initial shot was saved. Beckman got back on the ball and played a ball on the ground to the run of Sharp who scored the 13
th goal of her career.
Kyler Goins pulled one back for the Wildcats in the 38
th minute, capping off a well-executed counter attack off a Denver corner with her first of the season. Brookelynn Entz was the first to a clearance off the corner and slid a ball on the ground to Goins who beat
Nerea Arrazola 1v1.
Denver doubled up Kansas State in shots at 12-6 and took seven of the eight corners in the opening 45 minutes.
Second Half:
Following a very active first half on the scoresheet, neither team found the back of the net in the second half. Denver outshot Kansas State 7-3 in the second 45, and held Kansas State without a shot on goal after halftime.
In all, Denver's shot advantage was 19-9, and the edge was 11-3 on corner kicks.
Notes:
- Sami Feller's first-half assist moved her into a tie for eighth with Kalie Vaughn on 70 career points.
- Natalie Beckman's assist was her fourth of the season and the 33rd of her career, three behind Kristen Hamilton for third on Denver's all-time list.
Up Next:
Denver will round out a five-match homestand on Monday when the Pioneers take on SMU. Labor Day kickoff is set for 2 p.m. MT.
Tickets:
Denver men's and women's soccer season tickets and single game tickets for the 2021 campaign are on sale now, and can be purchased
here.
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