Colorado State University Athletics
Soccer Match Notes: Rams face tough home stretch
9/3/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Complete Release | Where is The Lagoon
Rams Face Tough Home Stretch
Colorado State started its 2014 home campaign in perfect form with a dramatic 1-0 win over in-state rival Northern Colorado, giving the second-year program its first home win ever. The Rams will look to continue the play that propelled them to success last week over the Bears with a pair of home contests against Portland State and Iowa.
The Colorado State Rams embark on the program's second season ever with a schedule featuring some of the premier programs in the sport. On the year, the Rams will play 10 matches at home, eight on the road and one at a neutral site.
Testing Fitness
This weekend's matches represent the first time this season that Colorado State will have two matches in one week. With only one day in between its matches against Portland State and Iowa, CSU will look to open up its bench a bit more to keep fresh legs. In preparation for the two matches this week, Head Coach Bill Hempen played 20 different girls against Northern Colorado, giivng girls valuable experience in key situations.
Going the Distance
Through two matches this season, only Megan Speed and Jami Vaughn have played every possible minute in the field. This a familiar sight for the Rams, as the duo were just two of three players in the entire Mountain West to play every possible minute in 2013. Dating back to last year, this now marks 20-consecutive matches that the two players have each played every possible minute in a match. That streak now stretches 1,866 consecutive minutes without a sub.
A Pair Of Wins For The Rams Will...
• Give Colorado State its first winning streak in program history.
• Improve CSU to 3-1-0 in 2014.
• Improve the Rams to 3-0-0 at home this year.
• Improve CSU to 2-1-0 all-time against teams from the Big Sky Conference and 1-0-0 all-time against Big 10 schools.
• Improve Head Coach Bill Hempen's career record to 281-201-46. He currently ranks No. 19 among Division I active coaches in all-time wins.
Experience At The Back
While Colorado State returns just nine players from last year's team, the 2014 Rams feature plenty of experence at key positions. CSU returns its entire starting defense from last year, including co-captains Megan Speed and Jami Vaughn. Speed and Vaughn are also flanked on the outside by Jessica Stauffer and Catherine Ruder, who each give the Rams valuable leadership and strong attacking options from the back. Out of a possible 19 matches, Speed, Vaughn, Stauffer and Ruder have been the starting defense for 17 of them. In 2013, Stauffer missed two matches due to a broken wrist.
Stout in Goal
In just two matches in a Colorado State uniform, transfer Jesse McGinley has already made an impact on the Rams. The redshirt sophomore has started both matches in goal for the Rams, tallying eight combined saves. Against UNC, McGinley registered her first career shutout.
Finding The Net
Including the exhibition match against Colorado Mesa, the Rams have notched eight goals in just two home matches this year. Last year, Colorado State totaled just eight goals across all 18 competitions they played. Early into the 2014 campaign, the Rams look to be a team much more inclined to put pressure on opposing defenses. CSU has showcased its ability to find the back of the net from a multitude of different positions and offers a variety of attacking players, including senior defender Catherine Ruder.
Jumping On The Opponent Early
Colorado State knows the importance of getting off to a quick start in a match. An early goal can completely tilt the entire momentum of the match. All three of the Rams' wins have come when they have scored the first goal. All-time, CSU is 3-0-1 when scoring first, and 0-14-0 all-time when conceding the first goal of the match.
Fresh Faces
Fans can expect to see plenty of fresh faces on the 2014 Rams. The second-year program brings in a total of 18 newcomers, including 11 freshmen and seven transfers. The new additions are expected to give the Rams plenty of competition and depth.
Colorado Cup
With a win over Northern Colorado, Colorado State earned its first win in the Colorado Cup. The Colorado Cup is a season-long tournament between the six division I teams in Colorado. This is CSU's first year as part of the Colorado Cup, which Head Coach Bill Hempen helped create.
The Rams lost their first match of the Colorado Cup, 2-0 at Colorado, and knocked off UNC 1-0 at home. With three points through two matches, the Rams are in a tie for fourth.
2014 Colorado Cup Table
Pl. Team Pts. GP GD
1. Colorado 6 2 +3
2. Denver 3 2 0
- Colorado College 3 2 0
4. Colorado State 3 2 -1
- Northern Colorado 3 2 -1
6. Air Force 0 1 -1
The Lagoon - Home of the Rams
Located on the field just east of the Lory Student Center on the Colorado State campus, The Lagoon serves as the Home of Rams Soccer.
Free parking will be available for all CSU home matches in the Moby lot.
