CSU soccer faces year’s toughest test in weekend homestand

Bailey Bassett

October 16, 2019

Undefeated at home, the Colorado State Rams soccer team takes on two more opponents in Fort Collins this weekend.

On Friday, the Rams take on Utah State University. The Utah State Aggies are 6-7-1 this season. The Rams are 2-4 all-time against Utah State but have won their previous two games against them.

In one-goal thrillers, the Rams won their last two home games against Fresno State and San Jose State. Captain Caeley Lordemann has been dominant over the homestand so far, knocking in a goal and two assists last weekend.

racie Armstrong(#9) turns the ball towards center field — Gracie Armstrong (9) turns the ball toward center field during the Colorado State home game vs. San Diego State. CSU defeated SDSU two goals to one. (Devin Cornelius | Collegian)

The status of Kristen Noonan is still unknown. Noonan was carted off the field against Fresno State with a right leg/foot injury. She was wearing a boot while watching the game against SJSU. Noonan is second on the team in goals and points, and her scoring ability will be missed if she can’t play.

“We are in a position where if she is hurt, we are not going to rush her back because we have quality on the team,” Coach Bill Hempen said. “But when she is ready to go, she will be ready 100%. We’d love to have her back Friday, but who knows what’s going to happen.”

If Noonan can’t play, Taylor Steinke is her likely replacement. Steinke started in Noonan’s place against San Jose State and scored the team’s first goal of the day.

Steinke brings a similar presence as Noonan for the Rams. With her 5-foot-10-inch frame, Steinke is a big target in the middle of the field.

“Her injury is really unfortunate, but our team has to work together around it,” Steinke said. “We have to find a way to come back and still win some games.”

Gracie Armstrong has started to come into her own as well. She notched her second CSU goal against Fresno State and has been aggressive on the field since. Armstrong has gotten more active with and around the ball over the course of the season. She will be another important piece if Noonan isn’t active.

On Sunday, Oct. 20, the Rams face another Mountain West rival in Boise State University. The matchup against the Broncos will be the Rams’ biggest test yet. Boise State is 13-2 and ranked top in the Mountain West. A win against the Broncos will put the second-seeded Rams one step closer to their goal of winning the conference.

With a 0-5-1 record against Boise State, the Rams look for their first win ever against the Broncos.

The Rams are 9-4-1 this year: the best season in program history. Additionally, they own an undefeated streak of six wins at home this season. Here are the current Mountain West standings.

2019 Mountain West Women’s Soccer Standings
SCHOOL	CONF	CPCT.	PTS.	OVERALL	PCT.	STREAK
Boise State	5-1	0.833	15	13-2	0.867	W2
Colorado State	4-2	0.667	12	9-4-1	0.679	W3
New Mexico	4-2	0.667	12	8-5	0.615	L1
San Diego State	4-2	0.667	12	5-7-1	0.423	W1
Fresno State	3-2-1	0.583	10	7-4-2	0.615	W1
Colorado College	3-3	0.500	9	8-4	0.667	L1
Air Force	3-3	0.500	9	8-4-1	0.654	L1
Wyoming	2-3-1	0.417	7	5-5-4	0.500	L1
San José State	2-3-1	0.417	7	4-7-3	0.393	L1
Nevada	2-4	0.333	6	3-10	0.231	W1
Utah State	1-4-1	0.250	4	6-7-1	0.464	L3
UNLV	1-5	0.167	3	4-10	0.286	W1

Courtesy of themw.com

The games can be caught at CSU Soccer Field, just south of Moby Arena.

Bailey Bassett can be reached at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @baileybassett_.

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About the Contributor

Devin Cornelius, Digital Managing Editor

Devin Cornelius is the digital managing editor for The Collegian. He is a fifth-year computer science major from Austin, Texas. He moved to Colorado State University and started working for The Collegian in 2017 as a photographer. His passion for photography began in high school, so finding a photography job in college was one of his top priorities. He primarily takes sports photos, volleyball being his favorite to shoot. Having been on The Collegian staff for 4 1/2 years, he's watched the paper evolve from a daily to a weekly paper, and being involved in this transition is interesting and exciting. Although Cornelius is a computer science major, his time at The Collegian has been the most fulfilling experience in his college career — he has loved every second. From working 12-hour days to taking photos in Las Vegas for the Mountain West Conference, he cannot think of a better place to work. Working as a photographer for The Collegian pushed him outside of his comfort zone, taking him places that he never expected and making him the photographer he is today. As the digital managing editor, Cornelius oversees the photos, graphics and social media of The Collegian along with other small tech things. Working on the editorial staff with Katrina Leibee and Serena Bettis has been super fun and extremely rewarding, and together they have been pushing The Collegian toward being an alt-weekly. Outside of The Collegian, he enjoys playing volleyball, rugby, tumbling and a variety of video games. When in Austin, you can find him out on the lake, wake surfing, wake boarding and tubing. You can expect that Cornelius and the rest of The Collegian staff will do their best to provide you with interesting and exciting content.

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