This week is history in the making for the Colorado State women’s soccer team. The regular season has wrapped up for the Mountain West women’s soccer teams. The Rams are one of the six teams who will advance to the Mountain West Women’s Soccer Championship. This will be CSU’s first-ever appearance in the conference tournament.
This season was the team’s best season in program history; the Rams finished the year 12-5-2. They doubled their previous year’s total of six wins, which was their all-time best season at the time.
The Rams have shattered expectations this season and have proved themselves to be legitimate contenders in the upcoming Mountain West Championship tournament.
The Rams are the three seed and will face six-seeded Fresno State University. If the Rams can hold off Fresno State, which they did during the regular season, they will face two-seeded San Diego State University in the semifinals.
New Mexico University and San Jose State will also match up against each other, and the winner of that game will move on to face Boise State in Boise.
The Rams’ regular-season finale was a two-overtime scoreless tie against Wyoming. The Rams hope to re-find their offense against Fresno State, who they play on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The Rams’ offense must look to push the pace early and dominate the time of possession if they look to win.
The previous matchup against Fresno State was one of the closest contests of the year. Gracie Armstrong’s goal, which was assisted by Caeley Lordemann, was the only goal of the game and came early at the seven minute mark. Both teams put up similar shots and shots on goal numbers, and the teams tied with three saves as well.
This time around, the Rams must key in on Ele Avery and Robyn McCarthy, Fresno State’s leaders in goals and assists respectively.
Seniors Maddie Lesjak, Sydney Hall, Alex Lanning, Maddie Kessler, Danielle Laughrey, Halley Havlicek and Lordemann will all be playing their last couple of games in green and gold in the tournament. The new players want to bring a championship home for the seniors who have spent years building this program up.
“We are going in to fight for respect every single game,” goalkeeper Gabi McDonald said. “We don’t think about anything besides what is right in front of us in that very moment, and right now, that is Tuesday.”
The tournament will be held in Boise, Idaho: the home of this year’s top-seeded Boise State Broncos. The tournament is three rounds and will last from Nov. 5-9.
Bailey Bassett can be reached at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @baileybassett_.
