DENVER – The [-/23] University of Denver women's soccer team outshot SMU 13-2 in the first half and 21-3 overall, but dropped its first match of the season by the count of 4-2 on Monday afternoon at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium.
Scoring Summary:
DEN: Glover 46', McGowan 69'
SMU: Balata 6', Vilgrain 15', OG 16', Whitmore 90'
Quotable – Jeff Hooker:
"Today we won the crossbar game, we won the corner kick game, we won the who has more shots game but as Bruce Arena says, 'Tell me what's on the scoreboard', and that's the only win we didn't get today. Chris (SMU head coach Chris Petrucelli) has done a great job preparing his team, and they can make you pay for mistakes, and that's exactly what happened. We left players isolated wide and gave no cover and 15 minutes later, we're down three goals.
"We talked at halftime about just getting one goal, and things will happen. That's exactly how we turned it around. We didn't have to change anything because we were getting chances the entire match; we just couldn't get the ball to go in the back of the net. We had to push at the end to try to get the third, but we just couldn't find it. I don't think I've been part of a game going in at halftime and saying, 'The other team has two shots and three goals.' It was a very odd day, but I'm proud of how we battled, and hopefully we'll be better the rest of the way because of the lessons we learned today."
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First Half:
SMU got on the board in the sixth minute on a tally from Wayny Balata. Jasmine Vilgrain and Courtney Sebazco combined in the middle of the park to setup the opportunity, crossing it into Balata for the one-time finish.
Denver's first clear opportunity of the opening 45 minutes came in the 14
th minute when
Sydney Sharp chipped the keeper, but her shot bounced in the six-yard box and rattled the underside of the crossbar without crossing the line.
The Mustangs made it 2-0 in the 15
th minute when Vilgrain finished a Lindsey Whitmore cross from the right flank to double the visitors' advantage.
Just 1:34 later, another dangerous opportunity down the SMU right created an SMU own goal that glanced off the chest of
Kaitlyn Glover and into the back of the net.
While giving up goals on the other end, the Pioneers created enough chances in the attacking third to stay in the game. In the 22
nd minute,
Vanessa Murray got in behind the Mustangs' defense, but her shot was cleared off the line by a defender and out for a corner. On the ensuing corner, Beckman found Murray at the back post, but her attempt on goal rattled the crossbar once again and the Pioneers came up empty.
Ella Frost came on as a sub late in the first half and made an instant impact, but her cross on the ground to
Sami Feller bounced up on the senior right before she struck it, and her 36
th minute attempt rose over the bar.
The Pioneers outshot SMU 13-2 in the first half, forcing SMU's goalkeeper Samantha Estrada into four saves, a ball cleared off the line by a defender and two balls off the crossbar.
Second Half:
After a first half of missed chances, Denver got on the scoreboard inside the opening minute of the second half with Glover's
second goal of the season.
Natalie Beckman fed Feller just inside the left side of the box. Feller hit Glover with a pass at the top of the box, who turned and fired her strike into the bottom left corner.
The first career goal for
Delaney McGowan pulled Denver to within a goal in the 69
th minute when the freshman finished a cross from
Hannah Wells down the Pioneers' left.
Denver created a couple half chances in the final 20 minutes but couldn't find the equalizer.
Notes:
- Sami Feller's second-half assist moved her into eighth with Kalie Vaughn on 71 career points.
- Natalie Beckman's assist was her fifth of the season and the 34th of her career, two behind Kristen Hamilton for third on Denver's all-time list.
- McGowan became Denver's 11th goal scorer of the season, the most goal scorers in a single season for Denver since 13 different Pioneers scored in the 2013 season.
Up Next:
Denver will hit the road for the first time in the 2021 season when the Pioneers head to Grand Canyon's tournament. The Pioneers will take on the hosts on Thursday night at 9 p.m. MT before turning around and playing Northern Arizona on Saturday at 6:30 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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