Rams open Mountain West schedule at Air Force, Colorado College

Colorado State Rams (2-4-2) at Air Force Falcons (3-4-0)
Friday, Sept. 22 | 6 p.m. MT
Cadet Soccer Stadium | USAF Academy, Colo.
Coverage: CSURams.com/live (MW Network) | Live Stats

Colorado State Rams (2-4-2) at Colorado College Tigers (3-3-2)
Sunday, Sept. 24 | 1:30 p.m. MT
Stewart Field | Colorado Springs, Colo.
Coverage: CSURams.com/live (MW Network) | Live Stats

Colorado State Women's Soccer: Match Notes | Twitter

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Colorado State women's soccer team will open its Mountain West schedule on the road this weekend with away matches at Air Force and at Colorado College.

The Rams (2-4-2) are slated to play the Falcons (3-4-0) in their first conference contest at 6 p.m. MT on Friday. Conference action continues for CSU on Sunday with a 1:30 p.m. MT contest at Colorado College.

Colorado College enters conference play with the Mountain West's No. 7 record by winning percentage, while Air Force is tied for eighth in the conference in winning percentage. The Falcons are 2-1-0 at home this season, while the Tigers have a 3-1-0 home record thus far in 2017.

Live streams of each of the Rams' matches are available through CSURams.com/live via the MW Network. Live stats will also be made available by each host institution. Links to each may be found above, on the women's soccer schedule page on CSURams.com and on the team's official game day central page, which goes live the morning of each match.

Game Day Storylines
- Colorado State has scored 14 goals in 2017, which already exceeds the team's 2016 total (13) and is tied for the most in program history. CSU's 14 goals are the second-most of any team in the Mountain West entering conference play.
- Colorado State freshmen have combined to score seven goals through the non-conference slate That total is the most of any current freshman class in the Mountain West, and is already the most of any freshman class in program history.
- Those freshman goal scorers include forward Ally Murphy-Pauletto, who made program history by scoring the Rams' first-ever hat trick in the team's 5-1 win over New Mexico State on Friday, Sept. 1.
- Murphy-Pauletto's three-goal performance led to Mountain West Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week honors on Monday, Sept. 4, and NCAA Soccer Women's Player of the Week honors two days later. Each accolade is the first in CSU soccer's five-year history.
- CSU freshman forward Karli Eheart became the second Ram with a mult-goal performance this season and the fifth all-time with a pair of tallies on Sunday, Sept. 10 against North Dakota State. She scored the go-ahead goal for the Rams in the 56th minute of action and added her second tally just two minutes later.
- Taylor Steinke was the first Ram (and first freshman) to score a goal in 2017, burying her first career tally at Northern Colorado (Aug. 24). Steinke is the second-fastest to her first career goal in CSU's five-season history.
- Kallie Clements was the fourth CSU freshman to score a goal this season, notching the first of her career against North Dakota State.
- 15 Rams have tallied at least one point this season, including Murphy-Pauletto (seven points), Eheart (five), Makenzi Taylor (five), Maddi Rodriguez (four), Lexi Swenson (three), Clements (two), Halley Havlicek (two), Alex Lanning (two), Caeley Lordemann (two), Beth Plentl (two), Steinke (two), Hannah Gerdin (one), Madisann Relph (one), Janelle Stone (one), and Alyssa Yoshida (one).
- Of those 15 players, 11 have scored at least one goal this season. In addition to the four freshmen, goal scorers include Havlicek (one), Lanning (one), Lordemann (one), Plentl (one), Rodriguez (one), Swenson (one) and Taylor (one).
- Havlicek scored her first career goal against New Hampshire on Sunday, Sept. 3, while Swenson scored her first career goal on a header against North Dakota State. Lordemann also scored her first goal with CSU against the Bison, while Taylor scored her first career tally on a penalty kick against New Mexico State.
- Colorado State goalkeeper Hunter Peifer made a program-record 11 saves against 2016 NCAA Tournament participant SIUE on Friday, Sept. 8. Peifer's shutout, her first at CSU, lifted the Rams to a draw in the full 110 minutes of action.
- The 2017 Rams returned 18 letterwinners from its 2016 roster. That ties for the second-most of any Mountain West program. Of those returning letterwinners, 16 have starting experience and seven were regular starters in 2016.
- CSU's top scorers returning from the 2016 season are junior Kaija Ornes (team-high four goals and eight points in 2016), junior Hannah Gerdin (four points in 2016; CSU career-record 16 points for her career) and Lordemann (10 points at Creighton in 2016).
- Overall, the Rams' 2017 roster features eight athletes that scored a goal last season: Gerdin, Lanning, Lordemann, Ornes, Beth Plentl, Relph, Rodriguez and Stone.
- The Rams return all three players that accounted for a game-winning goal in 2016: Ornes (at Denver on Aug. 19), Lanning (vs. SIUE on Aug. 28) and Gerdin (vs. Nevada on Sept. 30).
- Rodriguez played 1,589 minutes last season, the most of any Ram returning for 2017. Rodriguez and Ornes appeared in all 19 matches last season, starting 19 and 18, respectively.

Career Record Watch
- With her double-overtime goal against Nevada on Sept. 30, 2016, junior forward Hannah Gerdin moved into a tie with Gianna Bertana for CSU's career goals scored record (six). Bertana competed for the Rams from 2014-15.
- Junior forward Kaija Ornes is also nearing the top of CSU's career goals scored list, as her four goals rank fourth in program history.

Single-Season Record Watch
- Freshman forward Ally Murphy-Pauletto's three goals rank as the fourth-most in a single season in program history. Hannah Gerdin had five in 2015, while Kaija Ornes had four in 2016 and Gianna Bertana had four in 2014.
- Murphy-Pauletto's seven points in 2017 also rank behind those same three players on CSU's all-time single-season list. Gerdin had 12 points in 2015, while Bertana had nine in 2014 and Ornes had eight in 2016.
- Each of Karli Eheart and Makenzi Taylor rank sixth on CSU's all-time single season points list with five each. Eheart has two goals and an assist, while Taylor has a goal and three assists.

Scouting the Air Force Falcons
- Air Force is off to a 3-4 start through non-conference play, but each of its three wins have come in its past four contests. The Falcons have wins over Big Sky favorite Eastern Washington (3-1), as well as McNeese (1-0) and South Dakota (2-1).
- The Falcons were picked to finish 10th in the Mountain West in 2017. Last season, the Falcons went 3-7-1 in conference play (7-9-2), with their tie in conference play coming against Colorado State.
- Air Force's offensive leader through the non-conference slate is Kaitlyn Cook, who has a team-high five points on two goals and an assist. Brooke Rittman also has a pair of goals in 2017.
- Jennifer Hiddink has started in goal in all seven matches for the Falcons this season. Hiddink has made 29 saves and has a 1.14 goals-against average.

Scouting the Colorado College Tigers
- Colorado College enters conference play with a 3-3-2 record. After losing their first two matches, the Tigers have either won or tied in five of their last six matches.
- Colorado College finished with an 8-11 overall record in 2016, including a 4-7 mark in conference play. The Tigers were projected to finish ninth in the MW preseason coaches' poll.
- The Tigers' offensive leader through their non-conference slate is Lauren Milliet, who leads the team with eight points (three goals, two assists). All three of Milliet's goals came in a hat trick against South Dakota on Sept. 8.
- The majority of the time in goal has gone to Jade Odom, who is 3-2-2 with a 0.92 goals-against average and 26 saves.

Up Next
- The Colorado State women's soccer team returns at the new CSU Soccer Field next weekend for its first home conference matches of the seasons. The Rams host San Jose State at 4 p.m. MT on Friday, and bookend the weekend with a 1 p.m. MT home contest against Fresno State on Sunday.

New Facility Marks New Era of Rams Soccer
- The Colorado State women's soccer program, which enters its fifth season in 2017, has called The Lagoon home for all of its matches in Fort Collins over the past three seasons. However, the Rams have a new permanent home beginning with the 2017 season.
- Beginning with its home opener against in-state and Colorado Cup rival Colorado on Aug. 18, CSU now competes in a location that replaces the previous football practice facility. The Rams' new facility is located directly adjacent to Moby Arena and Ram Field at the intersection of Shields and Elizabeth Streets.
- Among the improvements made to the facility in preparation for the upcoming season was a topdressing process. Approximately 2,000 pounds of grass seed were transported in and spread evenly across what will become the pitch. The goals of that process include improving the thickness and leveling of the natural grass surface over time, as well as to allow for better drainage in adverse weather conditions.

Game Day Information for the New CSU Soccer Field
- Fans looking to attend a home CSU soccer match may park in the Moby Arena parking lot, conveniently located immediately next to the Rams' new facility. Entrances to the Moby Arena parking lot are located on Shields Street and on Plum Street.
- The new CSU Soccer Field is located adjacent to Moby Arena and CSU softball's Ram Field.
- Fans attending a CSU home match can expect seating and set-up similar to game days at The Lagoon, and are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs, blankets or other similar items to use for seating at a match.

Freshmen Finding the Back of the Net
- The 2017 Colorado State freshmen have combined for the best goal-scoring start to a season of any freshman class in CSU soccer's five-year history. CSU freshmen have buried seven tallies through non-conference play, already more than any other freshman class in program history.
- CSU's freshmen also stack up well comparatively to the rest of the Mountain West. Freshmen Ally Murphy-Pauletto (three goals), Karli Eheart (two), Kallie Clements (one) and Taylor Steinke (one) have combined for seven goals, more than any other freshman class in the conference. The nearest school is MW preseason favorite San Diego State, whose freshmen have combined for five.
- Freshmen have contributed three goals each time the Rams have scored five goals in a match this season (Sept. 1 vs. New Mexico State and Sept. 10 vs. North Dakota State). Prior to this season, the Rams had not scored more than three goals in a single match.
- Murphy-Pauletto and Eheart have multi-goal performances this season, becoming two of five players in program history to record multiple tallies in a single match.
- Murphy-Pauletto scored the Rams' first-ever hat trick in a 5-1 win over New Mexico State, and earned the program first ever Mountain West and NCAA player of the week honors.

Rams on the Rise Offensively
- Prior to the 2017 season, Colorado State women's soccer had not scored more than three goals in a single match. Colorado State has scored five goals twice this season, once in a win over New Mexico State (Sept. 1) and once in a victory over North Dakota State (Sept. 10).
- The Rams had five assists on those five goals against the Bison, marking the most assists as a team in a single match in program history. The Rams had four assists as a team against the Aggies, the second-most as a team in program history. Prior to 2017, the Rams had never had more than three assists in a single match (Oct. 4, 2015 at Air Force).
- Seven of the Rams' nine goal-scorers in 2017 have been first-time scorers. In addition to the four freshmen, Halley Havlicek, Lexi Swenson and Makenzi Taylorhave each recorded their first collegiate goals this season.
- CSU's 14 goals through non-conference play already matches CSU's best total on the all-time single-season team list. The Rams scored 13 goals last season and 14 in 2015. CSU's 12 assists through non-conference play were already the most the team has had in a single season in program history.
- Freshman forwards Ally Murphy-Pauletto and Karli Eheart became the fourth and fifth players to score multiple goals in a single match with performances in 2017. Previously, two-goal matches had been recorded by Hannah Gerdin (Oct. 4, 2015 at Air Force), Lizzy Gogolowski (Nov. 1, 2013 at Northern Colorado) and Taylor Nelson (Sept. 13, 2015 at Northern Colorado).

Murphy-Pauletto Headlines Historic Weekend
- With a hat trick in the Rams' 5-1 win over New Mexico State (Sept. 1), freshman forward Ally-Murphy Pauletto was at the forefront of a flurry of firsts for the program.
- Murphy-Pauletto's hat trick was the first in CSU soccer's five-year history.
- The freshman's hat trick was part of a five-goal effort for the Rams, setting a new single-match team scoring record. CSU's previous team best was three goals at Northern Colorado (Sept. 13, 2015) and in the program's first-ever match, a neutral-site contests against Lubbock Christian (Aug. 23, 2013).
- The Rams' 5-1 win over New Mexico State marked the program's first-ever win at the new CSU Soccer Field, which opened its gates this fall.
- Murphy-Pauletto is the fastest player in program history to reach three career goals (four matches), reaching that mark faster than any Ram has scored their first two goals (Hannah Gerdin – two goals in six games in 2015).

Steinke Becomes Second-Fastest CSU Freshman to First Career Goal
- Freshman forward Taylor Steinke recorded the first goal by a Ram this season with a tally in the 82nd minute at Northern Colorado (Aug. 24). With that goal, Steinke becomes the second-fastest CSU freshman to her first career goal in program history.
- The only Ram freshman to score her first goal faster was Carly Seib, who scored the first-ever goal for the Rams against Lubbock Christian in the program's first-ever game in 2013. Hannah Gerdin also scored her first goal in the third game of her 2015 freshman campaign, but did so slightly later than Steinke (84th minute).

Rams Return Second-Most Letterwinners in Mountain West
- The Colorado State women's soccer team enters the 2017 season with perhaps its most experienced roster in its now five-year history. CSU returns 18 letterwinners from its 2016 squad, which ranks as the second-most of any team in the Mountain West.
- Of those 18 letterwinners, CSU also returns seven athletes that were regular starters in 2016. Additionally, 16 of those returning letterwinners made at least one start last season.

Rams Face Trio of 2016 NCAA Tournament Participants
- Of the opponents on CSU's schedule for this season, three 2017 foes reached the NCAA Tournament in 2016. The Rams faced one of those opponents in their very first match of the season, hosting then-No. 23 Colorado in the very first contest in their new home facility. The two teams drew, 0-0, after two periods of extra time.
- CSU also drew with 2016 NCAA Tournament participant SIU Edwardsville for on Friday, Sept. 8. The two teams battled to a scoreless draw one season after the Rams topped the Cougars, 2-1, at The Lagoon.
- CSU faces off against their third 2016 NCAA Tournament participant on Friday, Oct. 6, when the Rams take on UNLV in Las Vegas. UNLV won the Mountain West regular season and tournament titles in 2016, and finished the year with a 16-4-3 record.

Hodgson and Stone Named Team Captains for 2017
- When the Rams take the pitch this season, they will be led by captains Taylor Hodgson and Janelle Stone. The pair of seniors were formally announced as team captains prior to the team's spring schedule on Friday, March 31.
- Each of Hodgson and Stone joined the Rams as part of their 2014 recruiting class, their first since the program's inaugural season in 2013. Hodgson has appeared in 40 matches with 12 starts in her career, while Stone has made 49 starts in 52 appearances. Notably, Stone led the Rams in minutes played (1,073) through 13 matches before being sidelined for the season with an injury.

Young Rams
- While CSU does return a bulk of experience from their 2016 roster, the Rams' roster is also filled out by a large group of underclassmen. Five athletes on the roster are seniors, meaning that 82 percent (23 of 28 athletes) of the team has junior, sophomore or freshman eligibility.
- Over half of the team is made up of either freshmen or sophomores. Those two groups make up the core of CSU's roster, as they combine to compose 61 percent (17 of 28 athletes) of the club.

Newcomers Join Rams' Core for 2017
- Joining the Rams' core of 18 returning letterwinners are 10 newcomers. Eight of those newcomers are freshmen, including three forwards (Ally Murphy-Pauletto, Emma Shinsky and Taylor Steinke), three midfielders (Kallie Clements, Karli Eheart and Alyssa Yoshida) and two defenders (Bailyn Furrow and Lauren Jones).
- Among the two transfers is sophomore midfielder Caeley Lordemann, who joins the Rams after scoring 10 points in her freshman season at Creighton. Lordemann's 10 points ranked third among Crieghton athletes last season.

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