DENVER – The University of Denver women's soccer team (3-2-0, 0-0-0 Summit) won its third match in a row off a second-half brace from redshirt junior Samantha Dreiling to defeat Cal State Northridge, 2-0, on Thursday night.
 
After heading into halftime tied at 0-0 for the third time this year, S. Dreiling put DU on the board in the 60^th minute before adding a second goal in the 85^th. Sophomore Michaela McGowan had an assist on her first goal while freshman Megan Murray had the helper on the second.
 
COACH'S NOTES:
From head coach Julianne Sitch: "I think overall, our consistency to stay after them and not take our foot off the gas and continue to get after them, that's something that we talk about as a team; and I thought today, in general, we did that. We've been talking about services into the box, runs into the box. To have Sam connect on two of those tonight was just phenomenal."
 
SIGNIFICANT STATS:                                 

• S. Dreiling's brace is the first for DU since last season when then-freshman Liv Moritz also had both of Denver's goals in a 2-0 win, hers coming at Oregon on September 10, 2023.
  • It is the first multi-goal game of S. Dreiling's career, and the two goals on Thursday night are the third and fourth of her career.
  • It is also the first game winner of her career.
• M. McGowan's assist was her fifth in six-straight DU goals dating back to Denver's 3-2 win at Texas A&M on August 21.
  • She has now played a role in six of Denver's last eight goals and in all but three of DU's goals on the season so far.
• M. Murray earned her first collegiate assist and now has five points in the last three matches.
• Sophomore Molly Wissman captured her first clean sheet of the year and the seventh of her career.
• Denver finished with 19 shot attempts for the second-straight match, which is a season high.
• In total, 13 Pioneers registered a shot, led by three from senior Jadyn Goodrich. Senior Kiera Flanagan and S. Dreiling shared the team lead for shots on goal with two apiece.

FIRST HALF:
1' | Just 42 seconds in, Denver earned a corner that landed perfectly at redshirt sophomore Hannah Tate 's feet, but her shot missed wide right.
 
28' | Goodrich began an attack down the right side that M. McGowan carried into the box, but the sophomore was unable to get a shot off.
 
37' | Flanagan had two looks at the net from inside the six-yard box but had both shots saved.
 
SECOND HALF:
60' | S. Dreiling connected with a M. McGowan service in the middle of the box and sent it past the CSUN keeper on her first touch.
 
61' | Moritz buried a shot in the back of the net about a minute and a half after S. Dreiling's opener, but DU was ruled offside to negate the goal.
 
71' | In similar fashion to Moritz's disallowed goal, senior Delaney McGowan had what looked to be her first career goal until Denver was again called offside. A video review did not overturn the call.
 
75' | Redshirt junior Payten Ivins put some heat behind a shot from inside the 18-yard box but had it glance off the crossbar and over the net.
 
85' | M. Murray kicked the ball back toward S. Dreiling at the top of the box, who again one-touched it into the back of the net.
 
WHAT'S NEXT:
DU (3-2-0, 0-0-0 Summit) hosts Colorado College on Sunday, September 1, at 1 p.m. MT in the Pioneers' final home match before heading out on a five-match road trip.
 
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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