Hayley Smith
Piper Carlson dribbles the ball at the Colorado State Soccer Field. Colorado State University played against Air Force Academy, tying 1-1 Oct. 12.
Legacies that last forever.
Celebrating senior day, Colorado State (8-2-3) soccer tied in a 1-1 match against Air Force Academy (4-6-3) Sunday.
Continuing the trend of the past two games, the Rams scored their first goal within the first three minutes. By applying early pressure and keeping the ball out of Ram territory, Michaela McGowan scored at 2:35.
“We’ve been talking a lot about starting strong as a team,” McGowan said. “And I think in a few games we were lacking in the first half strength, and so I feel like we just really wanted to come out strong.”
Following CSU’s strong start was a goal by AFA’s Kendall Rippley after an unlucky deflection steered the ball right past Gray Willson’s hands.
However, this goal wasn’t the only strong obstacle that the Eagles caused for the Rams.
Their unique formation forced CSU to think outside of its usual attack formation, requiring quick thinking after the surprise goal.
“I think our adjustment at halftime was good, and obviously (we) want our players to be able to do that,” head coach Keeley Hagen said. “But at the end of the day, once we got organized a little bit better, that helped us on our attack.”
This adjustment prevented any additional goals from AFA, but its pressure was relentless as the ball spent extended time in Ram territory.
The Eagles utilized a numerous amount of substitutions to their advantage, constantly having fresh legs on the field, as well as playing longer balls, opposing CSU’s tendency to cluster. To combat this aggressive playing, firecracker Sofia Coulombe was substituted in multiple times during the game, revitalizing the team.
Fresh out of recovery for an ACL injury, Coulombe was blocking strong competitors and attempted a shot on goal in today’s match.
“Honestly, it’s awesome to have Sofia back,” McGowan said. “She is such a passionate player and just so driven. It is so cool to see that much passion in a player and her work ethic.”
Aside from Coulombe’s energy, another motivating factor for the Rams was the senior day celebration.
Seniors Olivia Fout, Kate Dunne, Jessica Shivers, Kacie Laurie and Mia Massey were celebrated postgame for their contributions to the program.
“This is our last year playing all together, so I think we want to do it for each other,” Massey said. “And I think just if we keep winning, we still get to keep on playing. And I think we want to get as far as we can this season.”
Massey tallied two shots on goal — the Rams took a total of 16 shots.
At its current speed, the Mountain West tournament is beginning to look promising for CSU, who have yet to take a loss at home.
With a road trip to California coming up, the Rams take on Fresno State (4-5-5) 8 p.m. Oct. 16.
With five games remaining until the tournament, the Rams’ passion for each other and the game continues to push them towards success.
“I love how much they love each other, and they love their teammates, and that’s really our standard, and they fight for each other,” Hagen said. “So I’m really proud of them and the impact and investment they’ve had in our program.”
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Reach Sophia Schaller at sports@collegian.com or on X @sophschaller.