BEAUMONT, Texas – The University of Denver women's soccer team (2-2-0, 0-0-0 Summit) earned its first clean sheet of the 2024 season with a 3-0 win at Lamar on Sunday night.
 
After a weather delay of an hour and 45 minutes, play kicked off at 8:45 p.m. CT/7:45 p.m. MT. The teams began play with a scoreless first half before DU opened the scoring with two goals in less than two minutes. Freshman Megan Murray netted her second career goal in the 48^th minute before sophomore Liv Moritz scored her first of the year in the 50^th minute.
 
The Pioneers put a third goal on the board in the 80^th minute when redshirt sophomore Hannah Tate scored off a well-placed cross from redshirt junior Payten Ivins.
 
SIGNIFICANT STATS:                                 

• Denver's first two goals were scored just 1:47 apart, the 32^nd-quickest consecutive goals in DU history.
• M. Murray and sophomore Michaela McGowan connected on consecutive goals dating back to Denver's third and final goal in its 3-2 win at Texas A&M on August 21.
  • In both cases, M. McGowan had the assist on the M. Murray goal – and both goals ended up as the game winner.
• M. Murray scored the game winner in consecutive matches, a feat also achieved by a Denver freshman in 2023 when Moritz had the winners on September 7 and 10.
• M. McGowan added two more points with assists on M. Murray's and Moritz's goals, bringing her weekend haul to six.
  • The sophomore played a part in five-consecutive goals for Denver dating back to August 21 at Texas A&M. She scored the opening goal and added primary assists on DU's final two goals at Texas A&M before earning primary assists on Denver's first two goals on Sunday night.
• For the third time through the season's first four matches, Denver held its opponent to just a single corner kick.
• Tate and Ivins each notched the first points of their collegiate careers on Tate's 80^th-minute goal.
• Junior Alina Santos collected a clean sheet in just her second match in goal for Denver after making her collegiate debut one week ago.
• M. Murray earned her first collegiate start while Ivins saw her first minutes of the season after subbing into the match in the first half.
• For the first time since 2013, Denver scored at least three goals in consecutive non-conference road matches after scoring three at Texas A&M on August 21.

FIRST HALF:
3' | Fifth-year student Jordan Crockett had the match's first shot, taking a chance from distance but sending the ball high over the net.
 
25' | Graduate student Vanessa Murray put a shot on target while drawing a foul simultaneously just outside the penalty area. Senior Ella Frost took the subsequent free kick but sent it high.
 
38' | Lamar tried to get two shots off from inside the 18-yard box including one headed toward the net until redshirt sophomore Emma Thielbahr reacted quick on her feet and kicked it away.
 
SECOND HALF:
48' | M. McGowan found M. Murray on a cross into the center of the box that the freshman settled and sent home on her second touch.
 
50' | M. McGowan beat a couple of defenders to get a shot off from the top of the box that ricocheted off the cross bar. Moritz collected the rebound and easily tapped it into the back of the net.
 
68' | After a scramble in the box, V. Murray rushed up to meet the ball and took a shot from 30 yards out that sailed high.
 
70' | Senior Jadyn Goodrich juggled around two defenders to get a cross at the far post where an awaiting senior Blythe Sales headed it toward the net but sent it just high.
 
80' | Redshirt freshman Kera Nguyen and junior Lily O'Grady combined to get the ball to Ivins down the left side of the pitch. Ivins' cross into the far side of the box met an approaching Tate, who settled the ball and pushed it across the goal line.
 
WHAT'S NEXT:
DU (2-2-0, 0-0-0 Summit) returns to Denver for two home matches, first when it hosts CSUN on Thursday, August 29, at 7 p.m. MT before welcoming Colorado College on Sunday, September 1, at 1 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.
 
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