Lightning delays could not stop Colorado State as they added a thunderous win to their early, yet perfect, season.
In their first home game after the start of the school year, the Rams win with a 1-0 victory over University of Texas San Antonio Thursday. Less than two minutes after kickoff, forward Olivia Fout charged the goal to take an early lead against UTSA, accounting for the only points that evening. The lead-off goal spurred the Rams through the first half, as they were eager to maintain that gap between their opponents.
With the field soaked from the earlier downpour, focus on footwork became key as players slipped and slid, resulting in collisions and fouls.
New to CSU is goalkeeper Gray Willson, whose impressive defense from the last game against Utah Tech seeped into this match, as she skillfully redirected the ball amidst wet gloves and a slick turf.
“When it’s wet, you’re obviously not going to be able to hold things as thinly, especially when your gloves are soaking,” Willson said. “But in games like this, we’re kind of playing in a swamp, so to carry it as wide as possible is ideal.”
The slippery ground contributed to an extra physical match, as players slid into one another off exaggerated movements.
Two yellow cards each were called against UTSA’s Kameron Kloza and Leah Varela in the first half and then Fout and Piper Carlson in the second.
These cards added tension to an already physical game, making each team even more determined to come out on top.
“I think we knew it was gonna be a physical match, but ultimately we went in hard and knew what to do,” midfielder Avery Boulom said.
Throughout the game, Boulom’s aggression and strong guarding greatly contributed to the Rams’ defense; as part of the new back line, her ability to hold back opponents demonstrates the strengths of this new CSU roster.
Another strong addition to the roster is Carlson, the freshman defender, who is blossoming at driving the ball away from the back line; they are strengthened by leadership of Kate Dunne, her seniority guiding the new line of defense.
“Kate Dunne, being a senior, is an excellent leader,” Willson said. “Piper, being a freshman, I think she’s really come in, stepped up big time, and I think she’s been really receptive to all the information that we’ve been giving her, which has come up huge.”
Yet even as the new backline adjusts, the Rams are there for one another, sharing responsibilities and keeping the ball as centered as possible.
UTSA displayed strong aggression on the field and from the bench, urging CSU to maintain as much control of the ball as possible, focusing more on midfield defense than offense in the second half.
“It’s a full team effort,” head coach Keeley Hagen said. “And I think you saw us win a lot of balls in the midfield, which didn’t even get to the back line, which is enormous. So, for me, everybody’s been really, really good at kind of shoring up their defensive responsibility.”
As the new roster continues to adapt and grow, the Rams manage to continue their winning streak of 4-0, hosting Northern Colorado at 7 p.m. Sept. 4th.
Reach Sophia Schaller at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @sophschaller.
