Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
4-6-7, 1-3-5
San Jose State
6-5-5, 5-2-2
Spartans Strike Late to Steal Win
10/20/2022 6:29:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Final-minute goal clips Rams at home
FORT COLLINS, Colo. --Â Adversity is one hurdle every team, player and individual must come to terms with head-on. Adversity comes in waves and depending on people's actions, it can remain present for long stretches of time.
For Colorado State's women's soccer team, adversity has been the name of the game for the entirety of Mountain West play. Thursday afternoon was no different, as the adversity was too much to overcome as they fell 1-0 to San Jose State.
"It's just a disappointing performance today across the board," head coach Keeley Hagen said. "It's a matter of challenging the players of like 'what are we doing here?'"
The Rams were on the back foot from the get-go as the Spartans charged on. Despite a couple of glancing corner kicks from Colorado State, headers from Taylor Bee were not threatening to San Jose's net on both occasions.
On the other end of the pitch, the Spartans were the ones putting the most pressure on Rams goalkeeper Maddie Ogden. She was a part of the action for the entire 90 minutes, her second full game of the season while facing 10 shots along the way, including a crucial tip save over the bar on a looping shot early on.
"We're getting our group to understand that every little play matters," Hagen said. "They've got to compete and fight, and I'm definitely disappointed in our fight today."
The battle for midfield dominance and possession was leaning towards San Jose State, which spent much of the game in Colorado State's half. The Rams were caught looking multiple times, flat-footed and slower to compete for first and second balls.Â
It led to people chasing and colliding with others. A collision between a Spartans player and midfielder Izzy Wildermuth early in the second half forced her out of the game due to an ankle injury. While her performance was notable in the midfield simply because the ball was there most of the time, it didn't make the result any better.
"Zero (individuals) stood out," Hagen said. "I told the group we can't have an entire group that doesn't perform from an individual standpoint. I challenged each one of them to see how they can stand up and how they can be better."
With the loss and results elsewhere, the chances of Colorado State returning to the Mountain West Tournament are dire. It sits at a 1-3-5 record totaling eight points from conference play. Five ties along with only one win do not set up for success for the Rams, who have lost their composure to find the net.
Colorado State has been scoreless for four straight games, their longest streak this season and the longest since a streak of five in a row which bridged the 2016 and 2017 campaigns. It's now been three years in a row the Rams have had a least a streak of three games where they've been held scoreless. Motivation is running low in a team which can't find the back of the net, but there is still hope.
"At the end of the day, it's a team sport but there are individuals, and those individuals need to be better," Hagen said. "It's obviously very deflating to give up a goal in the final 45 seconds, but at the same time we have to take our chances and eliminate those fouls that we talk about on a daily basis; we are not seeing the execution."
When Colorado State did move forward, they did not have luck on their side. There were several disconnects across the field, and when they attempted to connect with each other, they found themselves in an offsides position seven times.
The Rams need a reset in a big way. This involves rest, reflecting and returning to it in just a few days. To keep any sort of hope alive for the Mountain West tournament, it's now or never for Colorado State.
"The game is about responding, about adjusting, flipping the switch," Hagen said. "We've got to be resilient; they get another chance to represent Colorado State how we get to represent Colorado State. But today, we did not represent CSU very well and that's what's disappointing."
The Rams will get their chance to represent the horns once again on Sunday afternoon against the Fresno State Bulldogs. Kickoff for the matinee affair is at 1:00 p.m., and can be streamed on EvocaTV and the Mountain West Network.
Team Stats
Sabrina Weinman (2)
GOAL by SJS Weinman, Sabrina.
89:21
