Colorado State University Athletics
Sunday, March 7
Fort Collins, CO
12 PM MT
Colorado State
1-1-0, 1-1-0
2
vs
1
Utah State
0-2-0, 0-2-0
1
2
F
Utah St.
1
0
1
Colorado St.
0
2
2
Rams Rally in Second Half to Top Aggies
3/7/2021 3:29:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Armstrong plays key role in two second-half goals
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – As Bill Hempen told his team, they made it through the first weekend of a pandemic season.
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It was a full weekend for the Colorado State women's soccer team, with a pair of home matches at Canvas Stadium, both against Mountain Division opponents. After the loss to New Mexico on Friday, Hempen expected a spirited response, which his team provided in Sunday's 2-1 victory over Utah State.
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"I think that we responded well. We had a good day of training, and today we showed up ready to bring it," Steinke said. "We aren't promised another game in this weird time, so I think coming ready to go and bringing every single person on the team – it doesn't take 11 people, 12 people, it takes all 28 of us to play. I think it's important we bring every single person, and Im proud of how we played today.
Â
"The tenacity was there. The grit was there. This was our team. This is how we play."
Â
The Rams rallied with a pair of second-half goals, produced out of grit and grind more than connecting the dots on the way into the attacking zone. You take what you can get, and sometimes what that becomes is what you can force.
Â
"When all else fails, like inside th3 18, you want to put something in the middle where it's chaos there," Hempen said. "We had chaos there, they had chaos in front of our goal. The goals that we've given up have not really been great goals, they've been scrappy goals. We needed to score one of those on our own.
Â
"We had chances, but Grace's was not an accident, and the PK is its own story. They kept the pressure up, and anytime you're in the box, good things can happen."
Â
Gracie Armstrong, who scored the Rams' lone goal in Friday's loss, played a huge role in both of the Rams' goals against the Aggies, both coming in the final 18 minutes of the match. Armstrong's charge to the right of the keeper led to her getting taken down in the box, resulting in a penalty kick.
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She didn't take the shot – as Hempen noted, the player dragged down rarely does – leaving the assignment to senior Taylor Steinke, a first-half substitution who played the remainder of the night. The setup looks easy, but it's not, and as she said, if you want to beat a keeper, ask a keeper.
Â
"It's a lot harder than it looks," she said. "We have goalkeepers who help us practice. They tell us that goalkeepers can read the angle of your knee, where you're eyes are looking, so obviously there's a big mental game that goes into that also. At that point, you just kind of go back to what you know."
Â
She went low and left with her shot, tying the match at 1 after the Aggies had scored at the 10:51 mark.
Â
What Steinke produced up front was a tenacious approach, constantly charging as Colorado State looked to put something together offensively against a physical Utah State outfit. Hempen said after Friday's game his players needed to get used to getting pushed in a game, and on Sunday, they started pushing back.
Â
For Steinke, Armstrong's presence was crucial.
Â
"Gracie was a huge impact on the whole game. She drew the penalty kick, and her last finish was a nice seal on it," Steinke said. "She's a powerhouse. We need her, and without her, we probably wouldn't have won the game.
Â
Just 10:40 later, Armstrong rifled home a feed from Rachel Hall from 30 yards out, sliding just inside the post for the game-winner, the second of her career.
Â
Defensively, Hempen rotated his backrow throughout the game, not just with substitutions, but with positioning. Baylee Bedard, Sarah Hogenkamp, Kendra Gipson and Rachel Hall all played outside back, and many of them played inside, as well. But with a new back line of defense, the difference between the two games was communication and keeping tied together. A hard-line attitude, Hempen said, was a start.
Â
That made a huge difference in front of freshman keeper Amelia Hammerle, who came up with a few bit saves in the game, one coming in the final few minutes of the contest.
Â
"Especially in those last few minutes," she said. "The last eight minutes of the game, everybody fought very hard, and I think the composure was better today. The communication of the back line in the second half was a little better, and we were able to work together to stop them from coming down the middle and down the sides. I think we were a little better clearing the ball out, too, and that was a big one for us on Friday."
Â
The Rams made it through the first weekend, a mere 16 months after the last time the program played. The start was they were thankful to be playing.
Â
On top of it, the roster has seen turnover and so, too, has the starting lineup and the personality. It was a bunch to absorb, and they're glad they did.
Â
"There's a lot of stuff we need to work on, but the response today was great," Hammerle said. "It was a great response to the loss we had on Friday. I think everybody had a different mindset and they came out to compete."
Â
Â
It was a full weekend for the Colorado State women's soccer team, with a pair of home matches at Canvas Stadium, both against Mountain Division opponents. After the loss to New Mexico on Friday, Hempen expected a spirited response, which his team provided in Sunday's 2-1 victory over Utah State.
Â
"I think that we responded well. We had a good day of training, and today we showed up ready to bring it," Steinke said. "We aren't promised another game in this weird time, so I think coming ready to go and bringing every single person on the team – it doesn't take 11 people, 12 people, it takes all 28 of us to play. I think it's important we bring every single person, and Im proud of how we played today.
Â
"The tenacity was there. The grit was there. This was our team. This is how we play."
Â
The Rams rallied with a pair of second-half goals, produced out of grit and grind more than connecting the dots on the way into the attacking zone. You take what you can get, and sometimes what that becomes is what you can force.
Â
"When all else fails, like inside th3 18, you want to put something in the middle where it's chaos there," Hempen said. "We had chaos there, they had chaos in front of our goal. The goals that we've given up have not really been great goals, they've been scrappy goals. We needed to score one of those on our own.
Â
"We had chances, but Grace's was not an accident, and the PK is its own story. They kept the pressure up, and anytime you're in the box, good things can happen."
Â
Gracie Armstrong, who scored the Rams' lone goal in Friday's loss, played a huge role in both of the Rams' goals against the Aggies, both coming in the final 18 minutes of the match. Armstrong's charge to the right of the keeper led to her getting taken down in the box, resulting in a penalty kick.
Â
She didn't take the shot – as Hempen noted, the player dragged down rarely does – leaving the assignment to senior Taylor Steinke, a first-half substitution who played the remainder of the night. The setup looks easy, but it's not, and as she said, if you want to beat a keeper, ask a keeper.
Â
"It's a lot harder than it looks," she said. "We have goalkeepers who help us practice. They tell us that goalkeepers can read the angle of your knee, where you're eyes are looking, so obviously there's a big mental game that goes into that also. At that point, you just kind of go back to what you know."
Â
She went low and left with her shot, tying the match at 1 after the Aggies had scored at the 10:51 mark.
Â
What Steinke produced up front was a tenacious approach, constantly charging as Colorado State looked to put something together offensively against a physical Utah State outfit. Hempen said after Friday's game his players needed to get used to getting pushed in a game, and on Sunday, they started pushing back.
Â
For Steinke, Armstrong's presence was crucial.
Â
"Gracie was a huge impact on the whole game. She drew the penalty kick, and her last finish was a nice seal on it," Steinke said. "She's a powerhouse. We need her, and without her, we probably wouldn't have won the game.
Â
Just 10:40 later, Armstrong rifled home a feed from Rachel Hall from 30 yards out, sliding just inside the post for the game-winner, the second of her career.
Â
Defensively, Hempen rotated his backrow throughout the game, not just with substitutions, but with positioning. Baylee Bedard, Sarah Hogenkamp, Kendra Gipson and Rachel Hall all played outside back, and many of them played inside, as well. But with a new back line of defense, the difference between the two games was communication and keeping tied together. A hard-line attitude, Hempen said, was a start.
Â
That made a huge difference in front of freshman keeper Amelia Hammerle, who came up with a few bit saves in the game, one coming in the final few minutes of the contest.
Â
"Especially in those last few minutes," she said. "The last eight minutes of the game, everybody fought very hard, and I think the composure was better today. The communication of the back line in the second half was a little better, and we were able to work together to stop them from coming down the middle and down the sides. I think we were a little better clearing the ball out, too, and that was a big one for us on Friday."
Â
The Rams made it through the first weekend, a mere 16 months after the last time the program played. The start was they were thankful to be playing.
Â
On top of it, the roster has seen turnover and so, too, has the starting lineup and the personality. It was a bunch to absorb, and they're glad they did.
Â
"There's a lot of stuff we need to work on, but the response today was great," Hammerle said. "It was a great response to the loss we had on Friday. I think everybody had a different mindset and they came out to compete."
Â
Team Stats
USU
CSU
Goals
1
2
Shots
9
10
Shots on Goal
4
5
Saves
3
3
Corners
8
1
Fouls
14
15
Scoring Plays
Foraker, Jordan (1)
Assisted By: Warner, Kami , Lopez, Whitney
GOAL by USU Foraker, Jordan (FIRST GOAL), Assist by Warner, Kami and Lopez, Whitney, goal number 1 for season.
10:51
Steinke, Taylor (1)
CSU Steinke, Taylor PENALTY KICK GOAL.
72:04
Armstrong, Gracie (2)
Assisted By: Hall, Rachel
GOAL by CSU Armstrong, Gracie, Assist by Hall, Rachel, goal number 2 for season.
82:44
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
2
SOG
2
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
2
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's SoccerD
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's SoccerD
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
D
/ Women's SoccerF
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