CU Comes From Behind To Beat Central Connecticut 2-1

BOULDER, Colo. -- The University of Colorado women's soccer team (2-3) overcame a 1-0 deficit in the second half to defeat Central Connecticut State University (2-1) by a score of 2-1 on Sunday afternoon.

"We did a nice job of coming from behind today," said head coach Austin Daniels. "It's always tough to give up a goal and then come back, and we did a good job of settling in and creating our chances. Obviously we need to do a better job finishing our chances, and as the season progresses we will get better at it. I'm happy to see that we are creating the opportunities to score, now we just have to put more of them in."

Colorado dominated the game offensively, taking a season-high 28 shots to Central Connecticut's three. The Buffs outshot the Blue Devils 12-1 in the first half, and then bettered their effort in the second half outshooting CCSU 16-2. CCSU goalkeeper Vanessa Valentin pulled in 11 saves on CU's 13 shots on goal, while her counterpart for the Buffs, Danielle Bassett, grabbed two.

The Buffs got off to a rough start in the second half, as CCSU's Jane McFarlane got behind the Buffalo defense on a through ball from Emma Wright. The Blue Devil standout knocked the ball just past CU goalkeeper Bassett for her fourth goal of the season to give CCSU a 1-0 lead at the 51:19 mark.

Colorado continued to threaten offensively, but did not capitalize until senior Andrea Matassa netted the equalizer at the 69:05 mark. Sophomore forward Lindsey Galas knocked a short pass to Matassa, who took two touches and beat Valentin one vs. one for her first goal since Sept. 20, 1998 against LSU.

The game-winner came just seven minutes later, when sophomore midfielder Meghan Swanzy knocked a header just past Valentin at the 76:27 mark. Junior midfielder Heather Zonker played a corner kick to the near post, which Swanzy nodded in to give CU the lead for good, 2-1. The goal was Swanzy's first of the season.

"It was definitely important for us to come from behind today just because of how our season has gone so far," said Matassa. "Losing our first three games and then having two must-win games at home, it was crucial for us to come back and win this game. We have gained the confidence that we can come from behind to win games and that if we work hard despite being down, we can come back and finish the job."

The Buffalo win is the 30th in program history, giving Colorado an all-time record of 30-45-5. Swanzy's goal was the 98th in CU history, with the Buffs needing just two more tallies to net their 100th goal. CU is now 2-0 at Pleasant View this season and are 0-2 on the road and 0-1 at neutral sites.

The Buffs are back in action this Wednesday, Sept. 13, when they travel down south to face in-state foe Air Force at 4:00 p.m. in Colorado Springs. They will return home on Friday, Sept. 15 to face another in-state rival, Colorado College, in a 4:00 p.m. match at Pleasant View Soccer Complex. PVSC is located at the northwest corner of the intersection of Foothills Parkway and the Diagonal Highway in Boulder. Admission and parking are free at Colorado soccer games.

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Team Stats

Meghan Swanzy

Andrea Matassa

Heather Zonker

Lindsey Galas

Players Mentioned

Danielle Bassett

Lindsey Galas

Andrea Matassa

Meghan Swanzy

Heather Zonker

Players Mentioned

Danielle Bassett

Lindsey Galas

Andrea Matassa

Meghan Swanzy

Heather Zonker