COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The University of Denver women's soccer team (1-2-0, 0-0-0 Summit) captured its first win of the season with a 3-2 upset victory at No. 24-ranked Texas A&M on Wednesday night.
In a back and forth affair that saw four first-half goals and and the teams trading equalizers, Denver netted the second half's only goal on a counter attack in the 53
rd minute that saw freshman
Megan Murray score her first collegiate goal with help from sophomore
Michaela McGowan, who played a part in all three Pioneer goals.
DU came out with the win despite giving Texas A&M a 1-0 lead less than five minutes into the match.
SIGNIFICANT STATS:
- It is Denver's first win over a nationally-ranked team since August 29, 2019, when DU defeated No. 24/11 Texas at home, 3-0.
- It is also DU's first road win at a top-25 team since September 26, 2013: a 1-0 at No. 17 BYU.
- Denver now owns eight wins over top-25 teams in its Division I history.
- With Wednesday's win, DU moved to 5-2-1 against opponents from the SEC in its Division I history.
- Denver has now won two in a row against SEC teams after a 2-0 with against Alabama on September 8, 2013, at home.
- This is DU's first road win at an SEC opponent. In the Pioneers' only other true SEC away match, they finished in a 1-1 draw at Vanderbilt on August 27, 2006.
- After being outshot in the first half, Denver led the second-half shot count, 9-6, and finished with more shots on target overall, 7-6.
- It is DU's first win after being outshot by an opponent since October 5, 2023 (4-2 win versus South Dakota State, which lead 15-8 in shots), which was also the last time DU won a match after conceding the first goal.
- M. McGowan's two assists were the first of her career, earning points only from her three goals last season.
- She joins classmate Liv Moritz as the only Pioneers over the last two seasons to score at least one goal while also being involved in all of DU's goals in a single match after Moritz had both goals in Denver's 2-0 win at Oregon.
- Redshirt sophomore Hannah Tate earned the first point of her career with the primary assist on DU's opening goal.
FIRST HALF:
5' | A first touch from A&M's MaKhiya McDonald went past DU sophomore
Molly Wissman and into the net after Mia Pante tapped the ball back to her from near the right post.
17' | With DU's second shot of the match, senior
Ella Frost put some heat behind the ball from about 25 yards out and placed it near the bottom of the crossbar, forcing Texas A&M's keeper to punch the ball clear.
26' | M. Murray took possession of the ball just inside the 28-yard box and tipped it up over the keeper, only to watch it trickle just wide left.
30' | Tate settled and tapped the ball to M. McGowan, who put the ball up and past the keeper from distance outside the right corner of the box for the equalizer.
36' | With a bouncing ball just yards from her goal line, Wissman quickly reacted to block away a shot from just in front of her.
40' | From just inside the right side of the penalty area, M. McGowan shifted the ball toward center and connected with an open Frost, who one-touched it with power into the far side of the net.
41' | A&M's Allison Lowrey got past DU's backline and beat a challenge from Wissman to tie things up before halftime.
SECOND HALF:
49' | M. McGowan again found the ball at her feet near the edge of the box and took a shot at the far post, forcing the Aggie defenders to clear it away.
53' | M. Murray found the game winner on a multi-faceted play that started with a perfect tackle at the opposite end of the pitch from redshirt sophomore Emma Thielbahr. Moritz immediately began the counter attack, feeding it across the field to M. McGowan. The sophomore carried the ball toward the net and pitched it out left to an approaching Murray, who pushed it inside the left post on the second touch.
75' | Thielbahr came up with yet another well-timed tackle in the penalty area, denying the A&M attacker a shot at goal.
79' | In nearly the same spot as Thielbahr's previous play, fifth-year student
Jordan Crockett stood tall against an Aggie player, putting enough pressure on to force the shot attempt wide.
82' | Wissman snagged a floating shot from inside her box and strategically kept the ball in front of her and clear of the goal line, as confirmed by video review.
87' | On one final set piece, Texas A&M got a shot off after a bounce from the initial kick that ricocheted off the crossbar.
WHAT'S NEXT:
DU (1-2-0, 0-0-0 Summit) continues its road trip in Texas when it plays at Lamar on Sunday, August 25, at 7 p.m. CT/6 p.m. MT. The Pioneers will then return home for two matches at University of Denver Soccer Stadium, beginning with hosting CSUN on Thursday, August 29, at 7 p.m. MT.
TICKETS
Season and single-match tickets for the 2024 University of Denver women's soccer season are now on sale and can be purchased at
denverpioneers.com/tickets or by calling the Ritchie Center Box Office at 303-871-4625.
Denver's Home for College Sports
Like
Denver Pioneers and
Denver Women's Soccer on Facebook
Follow
@DU_Pioneers and
@DU_WSoccer on Twitter
Follow
@denverpioneers and
@DU_WSoccer on Instagram
