Soccer Falls to No. 22 BYU 3-2

Friday, September 8

Provo, Utah

7 p.m.

Colorado

3-1-1

BYU

4-0-0

Colorado

Brigham Young

Photo by: CUBuffs.com

September 08, 2006 | Soccer

Box Score

By: Lindsay Lew, Associate SID

PROVO, Utah - The No. 21 University of Colorado women's soccer team suffered their first loss of the season here Friday night, falling to No. 22 Brigham Young by a score of 3-2 in front of 4,742 fans at South Stadium.

BYU jumped out to a three goal lead in the first half, but the Buffs fought back with two second half goals and almost managed to tie it up before the game's end.

"We played hard and we fought all the way to the end, scoring our last goal with 40 seconds left," said senior Laura Munnelly. "We tried hard and we played hard so we can't be disappointed in that. It was a good learning experience for us before we get into Big 12."

The Cougars (4-0) pounced on the board early, when Katie Larkin hammered home a loose ball inside the Colorado penalty area. BYU had bounced the ball around the box a bit before Carolyn Swenson knocked a ball to Larkin, who then took a touch to prepare it before ripping a shot past CU's Kara Linder into the right side of the net at the 5:07 mark of the first half. It was the first goal CU had surrendered in the first half of play this season.

BYU got their second goal when Haylee Cuthbert took a ball on the left side of the box, and hit a high arcing shot with her right foot that was just out of the reach of the outstretched Linder before it dipped down and into the top of the goal on the right side of the box.

It would become a 3-0 game soon after that. Kelsea Kakadelas received a ball 45 yards out and took a few touches. She was unmarked through the midfield, so she unleashed a shot at the Colorado goal. Linder was caught to her left, but the shot was high and to the right and the freshman gave a great leaping and reaching effort but could not get there, giving CU a three goal deficit at the 32:50 mark of the first half.

The second half, the Buffaloes would fight back. Senior defender Laura Munnelly netted her first career goal just 3:17 minutes into the second half. Munnelly stepped up to take a free kick from 35 yards out. She hit a hard shot on goal, high and to the left side of the net, which BYU goalkeeper Erica Woodbury couldn't quite manage. The ball hit Woodbury, fell through her hands and into the goal to make it a 3-1 game.

"We made some adjustments in the midfield, changed formations, and I think that really helped," said senior midfielder Allie True. "We kept fighting. The ball bounced our way eventually, finally. The crowd wasn't a factor but it was hard to communicate. It was nice to quiet them down with Laura's goal."

Colorado had several more chances, as BYU repeatedly fouled the Buffs in their own half and leaving CU with free kicks within the middle third of the field. Twice BYU's Woodbury had to make leaping saves punching the ball over her head, but Colorado could not convert again until time had almost run out. After a BYU defender mishit a ball, it was passed up through the midfield to senior Katie Griffin. Griffin took on the BYU defense one-on-one, when Nikki Marshall made a short overlapping run. Griffin found Marshall with a short pass on the right side of the goal, and Marshall fired home her sixth goal of the season with just 49 seconds left in the game at the 89:11 mark.

"It was a tough game but it was good for us because we learned to never give up," said True. "We learned valuable lessons and by winning the second half we ended on a positive note.

The Buffs finished with eight shots total, six of which were on goal, to BYU's 12 shots, nine of which were on goal. Linder finished with five saves, while Woodbury wrapped up the game with four saves. There were four yellow cards awarded in the game; CU's Katie Griffin was cautioned, while BYU's Katie Fellows, Katie Larkin and Karen Cook all landed in the book as well.

Marshall has now netted goals in three consecutive games, tying the school record held by five different players, including current teammate Katie Griffin. Her six goals in the last three games is the most for any Buffalo over a three-game span in school history. Colorado is now 0-3 all time against BYU, with all three games taking place in Utah. The game marked the first appearance of the season for junior Allison Kidd, who has been rehabilitating a torn ACL.

The Buffaloes (3-1-1) will now regroup and ready themselves for another test in the form of the No. 14 Utah Utes. The teams have met four times, with CU boasting a record of 3-1 in those games, with wins in the last three contests in a row. The game is Sunday, Sept. 10 at 1 p.m. Fans can follow the action at www.utahutes.com.