Colorado State women’s soccer ready to rally for final push of season

Sam Lounsberry

October 23, 2014

This weekend holds two more opportunities for Colorado State’s women’s soccer team to capture conference points with matches against New Mexico on the road Friday and San Diego State at home Sunday.

The Rams’ matchup with the Lobos Friday puts them against the fifth-place team in the Mountain West. With a conference record of 4-2-2, New Mexico has only lost to Colorado College and Utah State, the two of which are tied for a third-place standing.

Junior midfielder Dylan O’Connor leads the Lobos in points with eight coming from two goals and four assists. Sophomore Ruth Bruciaga and redshirt freshman Emily Chavez are tied for a team high three goals.

New Mexico plays host to the Rams Friday coming off of a 1-1 weekend after beating Boise State 1-0 and picking their second conference loss to Utah State.

Sunday’s match with San Diego State presents the Rams the chance to knock off the two-time Mountain West defending champions and current conference leader at home. Veteran midfielder senior Kelsey Booth has led the way for the Aztecs this season, notching 19 points off six goals and seven assists.

Colorado State currently holds a 2-6-0 record in the Mountain West, standing at 11th place. After dropping two in California last weekend to San Jose State and Fresno State with only three matches remaining this season, the Rams fell out of contention for a top-six finish in the conference and a bid to the Mountain West postseason tournament.

Despite the impossibility of making the conference tournament, this weekend’s pair of matches along with the season finale against second-place Wyoming next weekend are far from meaningless for the Rams, according to head coach Bill Hempen.

With a 7-1-0 record in the conference, San Diego State appears to be on its way to a third straight Mountain West title, but the Rams hope to prevent the annual conference bully from capturing the regular season.

“We can still have an impact in the conference, and that’s what the new goal is,” Hempen said. “We want to come and compete. We’re playing three of the top teams in conference the next three games, so we can have an impact as far as who finishes where and who wins the conference even.”

“We can play a spoiler role,” Hempen finished.

When the Rams travel to Albuquerque for their match with the Lobos, they will be seeking their first win on the road this season.

“For whatever reason we have struggled on the road what seems like immensely, and at home we’re a much more ready team,” Hempen said.

Friday’s kickoff at New Mexico is slated for 7 p.m. The Rams’ challenge with the Aztecs at home Sunday starts at 1 p.m. on the Lagoon Field east of the Rec Center. The contest will be the season’s final home match for the Rams as they hit the road against Wyoming next Friday to conclude the year.

Collegian Sports Reporter Sam Lounsberry can be reached at sports@collegian.com and on Twitter @samlounz.

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