Colorado State soccer continued their conference schedule this weekend with matches at both Boise State University and Utah State University.
The Rams took on the first place Broncos in their opening game of the weekend. BSU has earned their first place spot in the Mountain West Conference largely because they boast one of the best goal scorers in the conference in junior Raimee Sherle.
The Rams put forth excellent defensive efforts from senior Lexi Swenson and junior Halley Havlicek early on, that helped keep BSU off the scoreboard in the early minutes.
However, keeping Sherle off the board is something that no one in the country has been able to figure out.
Sherle scored the first goal of the game at the intermission approached in the 35th minute when she took a shot at the net that bounced off the post and into the back of the net past redshirt junior goalkeeper Hunter Peifer.
Sherle struck again soon after in the 40th minute, her 14th of the year. Her two goals were part of an offensive attack that tallied 12 shots in the first half.
BSU scored once again in the 50th minute with a goal from junior Lillie French, signaling the onset of a rout of the visiting Rams.
The storyline of not finding the back of the net remained the same for the Rams despite their 13 shots in the second half. Four of the shots in the second half for the Rams were taken by senior Madisann Relph who saw her second-best allotment of minutes this season.
BSU went on to cruise to a 3-0 victory over the Rams, the team’s seventh time being shutout midway through the year.
In their second matchup, USU presented a chance for the Rams to rebound and gain some points in conference play.
In the 17th minute, the Rams had their first good chance of the match as Peifer set up sophomore Ally Murphy-Pauletto to drive to the net. The sophomore passed up the opportunity, providing a ball to junior Taylor Steinke as the two drove the field, nary a goal to show for it.
In the 39th minute of play, Steinke was able to cure the Rams woes with a shot to the back of the net, making up for the team’s missed opportunity early in the game. The goal marked the first uncontested goal for the Rams on the season.
The score was one that both players and Coach Bill Hempen had been searching for. The goal opened the gates much the way that everyone anticipated.
In the 72nd minute, the Ram tallied yet another goal when junior Caeley Lordemann split the posts, nailing the back of the net, her team-high third of the year. The goal was set up by Murphy-Pauletto who drove towards the net and collided with defenders, allowing the ball to roll to Lordemann who was able to get off the shot.
The goal gave the Rams a two-goal lead, which they held onto for the win.
The Rams received a shutout performance from Peifer in the second bout of the weekend. Peifer made 5 saves in the game, tallying the seventh of her career, a new CSU program record.
In addition to Peifer’s excellent game, sophomore defender Baylee Bedard, sophomore defender Lauren Jones, Swenson and Havlicek all played a full 90 minutes and provided defensive support for Peifer.
The Rams will look to build on the win as they take on Air Force on Oct. 5 at home, their first home bout in nearly two weeks.
Adam Williams can be reached at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @AdamJ_Williams.
