Daryn Whitmoyer
Michaela McGowan (7) fights with a Colorado College player for the ball during the match Oct 9. The Rams went on to beat the Tigers 2-1.
Playing for an impact.
Colorado State (8-2-2) soccer sought and captured its second win in conference play, marking a meaningful game as players scored season-high numbers as the Rams wore pink jerseys to emphasize breast cancer awareness.
The Rams beat Colorado College 2-1 Thursday for its second straight win, notching goals early in each half to secure the win.
Kacie Laurie scored the first goal of the game 49 seconds into the first half. Although it was the second goal of her career, it was her first as a Ram. It was a heart-warming moment, making the win that much more special for her.
“(The pink-out) is my favorite,” Laurie said. “My aunt survived breast cancer, so it’s really important to me. And I know a lot of people who are affected by it, so it’s good to play for a cause.”
And complimenting Laurie’s goal was Michaela McGowan, who nailed the second for the Rams in the second half and tallied her third goal of the season for CSU.
The Rams went out hard Thursday, taking the second-most number of shots against CC with 19.
“We’ve been working a lot on taking our half chances,” McGowan said. “I think it’s been very beneficial to work on that, so that a few of them we can put away — not necessarily all of them — but that is what we’re striving to work toward.”
The Rams put up a strong effort on offense, taking advantage wherever they could.
Jessica Shivers created an opportunity to put a third goal on the board, but the ball ricocheted off the top of the cross bar, putting it back into play.
“I mean, it’s going to hurt when you’re not getting chances,” head coach Keeley Hagen said. “So, we want to keep creating chances. If we go into a game and we have zero chances, then we’re gonna have a big problem. We’re creating, and we (have got) to just get better on the execution side.”
CSU goalkeeper, Gray Willson, came close to a clean sheet.
For 68 minutes, the Rams kept the Tigers to zero on the scoreboard, but CC managed to scored a goal, putting it back in the game with a chance to tie the match up. However, CSU played smart defense in the second period, keeping the Tigers away from the goal while draining the clock.
It was a back-and-forth battle of inspired play, helping the Rams gain confidence as they move into their next game against Air Force (4-6-2), a team that’s sitting at third place in the Mountain West.
Not only was it a night for CSU to prepare, but to commemorate an important cause while rising through the ranks within conference and an opportunity for players like Laurie to score their first goal with the Rams.
“It feels really good,” Laurie said. “I think we were really focusing on four runs this week, and that’s how we got it.”
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Reach Alex Graser at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @AlexGraser5354.