Cowgirl’s soccer continues to be undefeated at home following this weekend’s victories over Colorado College 3-2 and Air Force 5-2, maintaining a record of 5-0 at home, 7-6-1 overall, and 5-1-0 in conference play.
Friday’s game marked Wyoming’s first win over Colorado College in the last eight encounters with the Tigers. The win came in overtime; the second overtime win for the Cowgirls in the five games they have played outside of regulation. Freshmen forward Kaitlyn Lomsnes made her fourth goal of the season in the 103rd minute to take the game.
“It was a big one. They’re a great program and a great team,” said Cowgirls head coach Pete Cuadrado. “That was an emotional win… It was a total team effort and we left everything we had out on the field.”
Cowgirl’s senior defender Alison Clarke had two goals for Wyoming within the 90 minute game play, her first goals of the season. Both goals were unassisted free kicks, the first came in the 47th minute from 40 yards out, and the second came in the 60th minute from 25 yards out.
Colorado College took the first point of the game in the 25th minute from senior forward Rachel Herron beating Cowgirls senior goalkeeper Alex Bohem to the net with a shot to the left corner.
Clarke managed to give the Cowgirls a leg up on Colorado College a few minutes into the second half before the Tigers’ tied it up in the 77th minute.
Lomsnes hit her game winner in the final minute with an assist from sophomore midfielder Mandy Meyers. A free kick from Clarke to Meyers set up the play for a cross to Lomsnes for the win.
Colorado College lead the game in shots with 19 shots, nine shots each half and one in overtime. Wyoming with 17 shots edged out the Tigers in accuracy and effectiveness with 11 shots on goal to the Tigers 10.
Sunday the Cowgirls returned to the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex to face conference competitor Air Force (5-7-1, 2-3-1 MW).
The win over Air Force was sealed within the 90 minutes of regulation, when the Cowgirl’s exploded with an offensive energy late in the second half.
“I thought for a large part of the game we struggled, just creating chances and being dangerous,” said coach Cuadrao. “It was nice to see that kinda click at the end but definitely not our best performance but we’ll take a W and keep working.”
The first half began with a goal from Air Force’s freshman forward Megan Schulze from a header off the post. The Cowgirls before the end of the half, matched the score.
Lomsnes made the first goal for the Cowgirls with an assist from sophomore forward Laurel Ramer. A header by Ramer was retrieved by Lomsnes to meet the right corner of the net before Air Force freshman goalkeeper Alex Kahalley could get there.
The second goal for Air Force came in a very similar fashion in the 60th minute from Schulze off another header off the post.
Air Force maintained the lead for the majority of the second half until the 73rd minute of play when the Cowgirls hit a hot streak set off by Ramer.
In 14 minutes time, the Cowgirls not only tied the game, but took the lead and drilled it into the ground for the season high of five goals.
“I don’t think we got defeated even though it wasn’t our best game,” said coach Cuadrado. “For us we just gotta keep working, keep being dangerous, keep playing behind defenders, that’s when we’re good, and then obviously just to finish those chances at the end was fantastic.”
Goals for UW came from freshman forward Alisha Bass with a cross, senior defender Kasey Curtis with a header and a closing goal from Lomsnes in a shot from 20 yards out.
Lomsnes and Bass, both freshmen, currently lead the team in goals along with team veteran Curtis. Lomsnes tallied six goals, followed by Curtis with five, and Bass with four.
“They’ve grown up,” said Coach Cuadrado. “I told them after we got done with non-conference they’re not freshmen anymore, and now they’re playing like it. The game matches that.”
The Cowgirls will be back in action next week on the road when they face the Fresno State Bulldogs (3-12-0, 2-4 MW), Friday at 7 p.m. MT, followed by San Jose State Spartans (4-7-3, 1-4-1 MW), Sunday at 1 p.m.
