Marshall Law Reigns as Soccer Tops Clemson 5-1

BOULDER, Colo. - The University of Colorado women's soccer team opened their home slate here in record fashion, topping Clemson University by a score of 5-1 Friday afternoon.

Freshman forward Nikki Marshall made the most of her Prentup Field debut, scoring the final four goals of the game for the Buffaloes (2-0-1) and setting a new school record. Her eight points is also a new record in the 11-year history of the program.

After Michelle Wenino put the Buffs on the board first, Marshall, a Mead, Colo., native playing in front of friends and family for the first time, made the most of her opportunities.

Wenino opened the scoring onslaught for Colorado, netting her third goal of the season at the 10:24 mark. Freshman defender Mary White played a corner kick from the left side of the field, which stayed high through the mouth of the goal before falling just inside the six at the far post in the Clemson (2-1) goal box. Wenino was waiting and blasted a shot to give CU a 1-0 lead, notching her third goal of the season. Then it turned into the Marshall show.

"You know, at the college level, you don't know if (high school success) will carry over," said head coach Bill Hempen. "She plays in Tennessee (last weekend) and has the same kinds of chances and doesn't finish. Maybe she'll score zero, and then maybe the next time three. She's such a raw talent, I don't know what to expect from her on a regular basis."

The leading goal scorer in Skyline High School history with 100 prep goals, Marshall scored her first collegiate goal less than three minutes after Wenino got things started. Nikki Keller played a ball from the left side to a streaking Marshall, who then blasted a shot from a tough angle that got past goalkeeper Ashley Phillips and went into the top of the net from well on the side to make it 2-0 Colorado at the 13:09 mark.

CU would have to wait another 24 minutes for Marshall to strike again, this time with Wenino on the serving end. Wenino played a ball down the left flank, which Marshall touched to the middle to take the keeper on one-on-one. When Phillips came off her line, Marshall touched it to her left and then fired home her second goal of the match at 37:07, giving the Buffaloes a 3-0 halftime lead.

Phillips faced 13 Colorado first half shots, allowing three goals and grabbing five saves. CU's Kara Linder kept a clean first half scoresheet, facing five shots total and saving the lone shot on goal.

The second half was just more Marshall. Less than a minute in, she again took a long ball, this time coming from Keller in the midfield. Keller finessed a ball through the middle of the Clemson defense, which Marshall ran onto, and took one touch to beat Phillips to the right to make it 4-0 at 45:59. It was just the second hat trick in school history, tying the CU record for goals in a game. The first triple belonged to Jen Thais on Oct. 17, 2004, the first soccer game ever played at Prentup Field, a 7-0 CU win over Texas Tech.

"I came over to Bill and I wasn't sure what to do really because they weren't marking me," said Marshall. "I just got behind and the balls the girls were playing were perfect. They were dead on. The assist is huge. Bigger than the goal."

Marshall would break her own record minutes later thanks to another perfect service when Megan Manthey crushed a long ball from the left side, which got in over the Clemson defense. Again Marshall ran onto it, taking one touch to beat Phillips to the right and give CU a 5-0 lead at the 48:26 mark, their most goals at home since the aforementioned win over Texas Tech in 2004. She almost struck again just 30 seconds later, but was pulled down from behind just on the edge of the penalty area.

"Every coach in the world will tell you you can't coach speed," said Hempen. "They played a risky defense and you know, to heck with being pretty, knock it behind them on a run. We really got them out of their rhythm in a hurry because that's a good team. So it was an interesting result. I don't know what to think really."

Hempen substituted Marshall off after the fourth goal, and she was greeted by an excited bench. One smiling face in particular, that of injured senior forward Katie Griffin, stood out.

"She just said, 'Good job, I'm proud of you' and that's so huge for me, just to see Katie smiling when I'm running off the field, because she is such a great player and it means a lot to me to hear that," said Marshall. "I'm so excited to play with her. I was just talking to her and I just can't wait for her to be ready."

The five goal effort gave Colorado nine consecutive goals over the past two games, matching last year's season ending effort in three games against Texas Tech (5-0), Oklahoma (2-0) and Texas (3-2). CU's consecutive goal streak came to an end when Clemson's Elizabeth Jobe fired a low blast from 25 yards out through traffic at the 63:41 mark. A miscommunication led to the ball getting through, and Linder did not have a chance to get it as it was tucked away low just inside the far post. Linder finished with three saves on eight total Clemson shots for her second career win, snapping a two-game shutout streak.

Colorado has now won five straight at Prentup Field dating back to last season, and are unbeaten through the first three games of the season for the first time in school history at 2-0-1. The five goals is a home opener record, and the nine goals scored in CU's first three games is the most to open the season, with the plus eight goal differential also a record to open the season. The Buffs saw two players earn their first career points in White and Marshall, and Keller had the first two assist game of her career.

The Buffaloes will face a new challenge on Sunday, Sept. 3, as they face No. 23 Mississippi at 1 p.m. at Prentup Field. Ole Miss fell to the University of Denver 1-0 in the opening match of the tournament. DU will face Clemson at 11 a.m. on Sunday at Prentup. Admission and parking are free.

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Team Stats

Nikki Marshall

Michelle Wenino

Nikki Keller

Megan Manthey

Players Mentioned

Katie Griffin

Nikki Keller

Kara Linder

Megan Manthey

Nikki Marshall

Michelle Wenino

Mary White

Players Mentioned

Katie Griffin

Nikki Keller

Kara Linder

Megan Manthey

Nikki Marshall

Michelle Wenino

Mary White