Colorado State University Athletics
Friday, March 5
Fort Collins, CO
2 PM MT
Colorado State
0-1-0, 0-1-0
1
vs
4
New Mexico
1-0-0, 1-0-0
1
2
F
New Mexico
2
2
4
Colorado St.
1
0
1
Rams Fall in Season Opener to New Mexico
3/5/2021 5:32:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Armstrong opens scoring for Rams
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The initial rush of the season's first goal felt great. What came after reminded Colorado State's women's soccer team there is still much to decipher about this roster.
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Gracie Armstrong found the net off a feed from Liv Layton at the 21:40 mark, but New Mexico put together a pair of two-goal burst late in each half to claim a 4-1 victory at Canvas Stadium on Friday afternoon in the season opener for both squads.
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"I mean, look, you take this moment and it's an introduction for many of them," CSU coach Bill Hempen said. "Kids are going to play hard against you. I don't know that we were quite ready for the extra push you don't get when training. I'm expecting the response to be a positive response from our team.
"Getting players legitimate playing time at the Division I level was important. It was just good for those players to get a feel for what it's going to be like."
Â
With a rebuilt back end, including the goalkeeper, Colorado State set out to find a new way to do just about everything. Up front, they have to find a new way to produce goals, and somehow they need to find a way to keep it all together.
Â
Friday was a start. And a lesson, along with some encouraging positives.
Â
"I think we had good energy as a whole and good players one-on-one, but it's a matter of all working together and all meshing,"Â midfielder Sam Studt said. "It's important to take everything we've learned about the speed of play and the different styles and how we are going to have to play different from last year.
Â
"It's definitely unity and working together and creating that balance and harmony. Over time, we'll get there. It is a new team, a different team, but I don't hesitate to say we will get there."
Â
The Rams hit the board first as Layton crossed a pass to Armstrong, who delivered off her left foot and went to the right of the frozen keeper for her marker. The excitement and rush from having her teammates charge her was incredible, and to some degree, she feels they all got caught up in that for a moment.
Â
While the Rams put together runs which created pressure on the Lobos, they weren't as consistent as they expect for an entire match.
Â
"It all has to do with our pressing and stepping together," Armstrong said. "Our lines are very spread out, and if our defense steps up, the middle steps up and pushes the forwards, I think that will bring us all together and allow us to win the goal, like we did on that goal."
Â
New Mexico stole the momentum later in the half, getting goals from Gwen Maly and Madi Hirschman in span of 1:32 in the final five minutes of the first half. The game remained that way until the final six minutes of play, when the Lobos took advantage of a three-defender back line to tally goals from Alesia Garcia and Leilani Baker.
Â
Hempen said the introduction for goalie Amelia Hammerle was positive, and he liked the play of his new starting defenders when they were playing as a four-person unit. Still, it all needs to be developed and connected for the Rams to move forward.
Â
As Hempen said, it's just going to take time.
Â
"A week ago, we played a scrimmage out here and we looked really good, and you get a false sense of security," he said. "We didn't keep connecting the passes in the most inappropriate time. We talked about it at halftime; we'd get in the attacking third of the field, that was where we wanted to keep playing the ball through. Let's get it in there and keep it a bit and isolate our players on the wing. We never really did do enough of that.
Â
"It was good for us to go through that as tough as it is."
Â
Â
Gracie Armstrong found the net off a feed from Liv Layton at the 21:40 mark, but New Mexico put together a pair of two-goal burst late in each half to claim a 4-1 victory at Canvas Stadium on Friday afternoon in the season opener for both squads.
Â
"I mean, look, you take this moment and it's an introduction for many of them," CSU coach Bill Hempen said. "Kids are going to play hard against you. I don't know that we were quite ready for the extra push you don't get when training. I'm expecting the response to be a positive response from our team.
"Getting players legitimate playing time at the Division I level was important. It was just good for those players to get a feel for what it's going to be like."
Â
With a rebuilt back end, including the goalkeeper, Colorado State set out to find a new way to do just about everything. Up front, they have to find a new way to produce goals, and somehow they need to find a way to keep it all together.
Â
Friday was a start. And a lesson, along with some encouraging positives.
Â
"I think we had good energy as a whole and good players one-on-one, but it's a matter of all working together and all meshing,"Â midfielder Sam Studt said. "It's important to take everything we've learned about the speed of play and the different styles and how we are going to have to play different from last year.
Â
"It's definitely unity and working together and creating that balance and harmony. Over time, we'll get there. It is a new team, a different team, but I don't hesitate to say we will get there."
Â
The Rams hit the board first as Layton crossed a pass to Armstrong, who delivered off her left foot and went to the right of the frozen keeper for her marker. The excitement and rush from having her teammates charge her was incredible, and to some degree, she feels they all got caught up in that for a moment.
Â
While the Rams put together runs which created pressure on the Lobos, they weren't as consistent as they expect for an entire match.
Â
"It all has to do with our pressing and stepping together," Armstrong said. "Our lines are very spread out, and if our defense steps up, the middle steps up and pushes the forwards, I think that will bring us all together and allow us to win the goal, like we did on that goal."
Â
New Mexico stole the momentum later in the half, getting goals from Gwen Maly and Madi Hirschman in span of 1:32 in the final five minutes of the first half. The game remained that way until the final six minutes of play, when the Lobos took advantage of a three-defender back line to tally goals from Alesia Garcia and Leilani Baker.
Â
Hempen said the introduction for goalie Amelia Hammerle was positive, and he liked the play of his new starting defenders when they were playing as a four-person unit. Still, it all needs to be developed and connected for the Rams to move forward.
Â
As Hempen said, it's just going to take time.
Â
"A week ago, we played a scrimmage out here and we looked really good, and you get a false sense of security," he said. "We didn't keep connecting the passes in the most inappropriate time. We talked about it at halftime; we'd get in the attacking third of the field, that was where we wanted to keep playing the ball through. Let's get it in there and keep it a bit and isolate our players on the wing. We never really did do enough of that.
Â
"It was good for us to go through that as tough as it is."
Â
Team Stats
UNM
CSU
Goals
4
1
Shots
24
12
Shots on Goal
7
9
Saves
7
3
Corners
4
6
Fouls
5
6
Scoring Plays
Armstrong, Gracie (1)
Assisted By: Layton, Liv
GOAL by CSU Armstrong, Gracie (FIRST GOAL), Assist by Layton, Liv, goal number 1 for season.
21:40
Maly, Gwen (1)
Assisted By: Satterlee, Paige
GOAL by UNM Maly, Gwen, Assist by Satterlee, Paige, goal number 1 for season.
40:21
Hirschman, Madi (1)
Assisted By: Maly, Gwen
GOAL by UNM Hirschman, Madi, Assist by Maly, Gwen, goal number 1 for season.
41:53
Garcia, Alesia (1)
GOAL by UNM Garcia, Alesia, goal number 1 for season.
84:25
Baker, Leilani (1)
Assisted By: Edwards, Jadyn
GOAL by UNM Baker, Leilani, Assist by Edwards, Jadyn, goal number 1 for season.
88:29
Game Leaders
Shots
4
SOG
3
Goals
1
Assists
0
mid
Shots
2
SOG
2
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
2
SOG
2
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
2025 Soccer Experience
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Monday, September 01
Colorado State Soccer: Mia Casey (L) & Kate Dunne (R) (8/6/25)
Wednesday, August 06
Colorado State Soccer: Keeley Hagen Media (8/6/25)
Wednesday, August 06