The Rams offense went MIA in their 3-0 victory over Colorado College.
In this case, MIA doesn’t mean missing in action, because Mia Casey was anything but that.
Ad
Netting three scores for CSU, Casey became just the second player in program history to get a hat trick, joining forward Ally Murphy-Pauletto, who did so in 2017.
“It was awesome,” freshman forward Sofia Coulombe said. “Everyone was in sync. Everyone knew what we were doing. We were organized. There was a bunch of communication on the field, and everyone gave 100% of themselves.”
Casey’s explosion of goals couldn’t have come at a better time for the Rams. Coming off a four-game road trip going 1-2-1, CSU desperately needed some momentum.
“Shout out to the defense as a team,” Casey said. “Individually, I’ve been having so many chances. This last game, I was just inches off. I’ve had the team behind me saying, ‘Just keep shooting, next one, next one, next play.’ … A big thing in our team culture is next play, (and) the next play came three times today, so it was really cool.”
While the Rams have gained some momentum, head coach Keeley Hagen said the team still has to take the game-by-game approach as they near the end of conference play.
“At this point in the season, it’s one game at a time,” Hagen said. “There’s four games to go, and so it’s, ‘Alright, how are we going to improve from things we need to clean up — because it wasn’t a perfect game — to get us ready for our next matchup?’ We’ll celebrate today, and tomorrow, we’re back to work.”
It’s hard to agree that today wasn’t a perfect game for the Rams, but that just goes to show how high expectations are in the locker room for this team.
“Obviously, we have ups and downs every game,” Coulombe said.
For Coulombe, it was her first start at home. The freshman forward hails all the way from Barcelona, Spain, and is starting to make an impact on the team. Today, she assisted on one of Casey’s goals, saying she was happy to do that for her “best friend.”
Ad
“It’s always a big deal,” Coulombe said. “I was really happy that I was going to start. I’ll take this opportunity and do the best I can.”
While Coulombe and Casey may just be freshmen, there might be some advantages to that youth.
“You’re not really that scared because you’re getting to play,” Casey said. “You’re just really excited to be on the field as a younger player.”
Coulombe said to her, it was about the chance to show her ability on the field.
“You have a chance to show what you’re able to do on the field and just try to give the best you can,” Coulombe said. “I think it’s the motivation of being young and getting to be on the field. You want to do your best.”
The Rams (8-4-3, 3-2-2 MW) will stay at home to take on Air Force (5-7-2, 2-3-2 MW) 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15. The Falcons sit three points behind CSU in the standings and will try to even things out, while CSU will look to continue their push up the standings.
Reach Damon Cook at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @dwcook2001.
