The Colorado State University soccer team took the stage Thursday, Sept. 8, wearing all orange against the University of Montana. The Rams tied in a scoreless game against the Grizzlies.

The first half got off to a very slow start as the Rams struggled to attack. The Rams had three shots on goal during the first half, but both teams’ defenses seemed to steal the show. As the game moved along, both teams traded shots on goal, but nothing got past either team’s goalies.

“We haven’t played a team that has challenged us besides (The University of) Utah, so I’m excited to see how it goes. Every game, we’re learning. … I’m excited: great players, great team — everyone wants to win.” –Emilie Gavillet, Redshirt senior goalkeeper

The first half remained scoreless, but the performance from redshirt senior goalkeeper Emilie Gavillet was outstanding. Gavillet saved two shots on goal during the first half. She has been terrific as of late, allowing only one goal during the last two games before the weekend homestand. She had her first shutout of the year against Southeast Missouri State University last week. 

The scoreless game that started in the first half continued during this hard-fought battle. During the final minutes, the crowd was on edge as both teams swapped possession multiple times, but neither team could prevail.

“We haven’t played a team that has challenged us besides (The University of) Utah, so I’m excited to see how it goes,” Gavillet said. “Every game, we’re learning. … I’m excited: great players, great team — everyone wants to win.”

“The game plan was winning,” Gavillet said. “We knew coming in how they were playing, so we just tried to play our game by scoring goals. We couldn’t do it, and we learned a lot.”

Then, Sept. 11, the Rams took on an in-state foe in the University of Denver, a game they lost 2-1.

The Pioneers got out to a one-goal lead in the fifth minute. Soon after, in the 23rd minute, senior forward Aleyse Evers scored after a fantastic assist by senior midfielder Kaitlyn Abrams. With the score tied once again, the defenses of both teams took over, allowing zero goals for the rest of the first half.

The second game came down to the wire as Pioneers midfielder Sami Feller scored in the final minute of the game. The Rams will go into the next game with a record of 3-2-1. CSU will play Kansas State University on the road Sept. 15 at 6 p.m., which will be the first of a four-game road trip.

Reach Tyler Azzaro at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @TylerAzzaro.