Colorado State University Athletics
Thursday, October 23
Fort Collins, CO
4:00 p.m.
Colorado State
vs
San Diego State
Rams Rally to Earn a Point Against Aztecs
10/23/2025 7:46:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Dunne’s first career goal earns tie
There was a fast start and a strong finish under duress, but Thursday night's 2-all draw left the squad feeling a bit uneven.
Such is the current state of emotions for Colorado State's women's soccer team with the regular season winding down and being one of the teams in a cluster positioning for one of the six spots in the upcoming Mountain West tournament. It's a field they've been part of the past two seasons but entering the match with San Diego State at CSU Soccer Field, the Rams were tied for the fifth spot and there was no lack of thieves lurking in the shadows behind them.
"A tale of two halves, right? In this part of the season, you don't want to have a tale of two halves," CSU coach Keeley Hagen said. "Credit to them, they made an adjustment, and we couldn't adjust quick enough. But we got a point. Every point matters at this point. So, we've got to rest, recover, and get ready for a good team on Sunday."
The Rams entered the match with just three contests remaining, all of the foes behind them in the standings. The thing about the visiting Aztecs is they've always been a tough out for CSU, with just one career win to its credit, none in Fort Collins.
As has been the case recently, particularly in conference play, the Rams wanted to put all of that to rest in short order. In the fourth minute, Olivia Fout delivered a perfect cross from the left and Kaja Dionne squared it up perfectly with her head, directing it back to the right of the keeper for her second goal of the season. It was the seventh helper of Fout's career, leaving her fourth in program history and extending her school record for career points to 48.
It was a perfect play visually from any angle.
"Oh, it was beautiful," defender Kate Dunne said. "It was just as good as it looked, I think, from off the field. Yeah, it was perfect."
The Rams would continue to apply pressure in the first 45 minutes, taking nine shots with four on net. Taite DeLange was turned away in the 10th minute, and Fout dented the left post in the 31st. San Diego State had a prime chance late in the half, but Alexis Leath slid it just wide.
She didn't in the second half, which is where the match turned.
The Aztecs were persistent in the second half, the Rams not so much, and in a 10-minute span, the guest had not only tied the game but moved ahead, with Leath tallying both scores.
In the 51st minute, she took a feed from Alexys Ocampo, sliding the shot from left to right past CSU keeper Gray Willson. In the 60th minute, Leath had her team celebrating when she cleaned up a corner kick, the second in succession for the team.
"I think they were just being a little bit more direct, and we expected that, but I think it's different from hearing it and then actually feeling it in the game," midfielder Mia Massey said. "I think just adjusting to that earlier and then we would have been great from there."
Instead, the delayed reaction put pressure on the hosts. Hagen said the Aztecs changed their shape and it just took a bit longer for the Rams to do the same. It also didn't help the team was without the speed of their second-leading scorer, Michaela McGowen, another absence in a season where Hagen has seen too many to be consistent with the lineup for long spells.
What she does believe is her team won't go down without throwing a blow, which Dunne expected herself.
"We talk a lot about fighting, and I think we think we could have fought a little harder in that game throughout the game. I think we let them back in," Dunne said. "We had a lead, and we hate to let them back in, and I think that's part of the reason that makes us so special, is that we are not satisfied with that result.
"We believe that we can beat that team, and we can do better results-wise, so I think it's just the belief that we are the best team in the Mountain West. We all believe that. We believe in the potential, and I think that's the biggest thing."
But to prove it will require getting back to the tournament, and with time winding down, Dunne picked an opportune time to score her first career goal.
Quick sidebar: She started her career at Oklahoma State, and as a center back, she knew opportunities would be few. But she had one in a game, off a corner kick, and just as her attempt was nearing the end line, a teammate tapped it in.
Basically, stole her goal.
No one was there to steal it this time, nor the point the Rams simply had to possess.
*/8Mia Casey sent in the corner with the SDSU keeper trying to punch it away. It went directly to Dunne, who fired off a strong shot Kailey Carlen stopped, just not clean. Dunne was right there to put away her own rebound in the 86th minute.
"Honestly, ever since that, and I'm always happy with whoever scores, honestly, I don't care, but ever since that, I've kind of had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder to get one before my career's over," Dunne said, becoming the team's ninth unique goal scorer of the season. "Corners are my best chance, so I was happy to get my head on some of them tonight. I just want to execute more and more as we go into this next game."
Hagen wouldn't mind, either. She'll take goals from anyone, anywhere, considering the point of the season and her team's situation in the standings. There's a lot at stake, and in the end, she was happy to see her team leave the field with something.
"I don't know what minute we scored and did tie it, but that's part of our core values," she said. "I'm proud of the fact that we tied it up and got a point. We were obviously going for the win at the end, and so were they."
Such is the current state of emotions for Colorado State's women's soccer team with the regular season winding down and being one of the teams in a cluster positioning for one of the six spots in the upcoming Mountain West tournament. It's a field they've been part of the past two seasons but entering the match with San Diego State at CSU Soccer Field, the Rams were tied for the fifth spot and there was no lack of thieves lurking in the shadows behind them.
"A tale of two halves, right? In this part of the season, you don't want to have a tale of two halves," CSU coach Keeley Hagen said. "Credit to them, they made an adjustment, and we couldn't adjust quick enough. But we got a point. Every point matters at this point. So, we've got to rest, recover, and get ready for a good team on Sunday."
The Rams entered the match with just three contests remaining, all of the foes behind them in the standings. The thing about the visiting Aztecs is they've always been a tough out for CSU, with just one career win to its credit, none in Fort Collins.
As has been the case recently, particularly in conference play, the Rams wanted to put all of that to rest in short order. In the fourth minute, Olivia Fout delivered a perfect cross from the left and Kaja Dionne squared it up perfectly with her head, directing it back to the right of the keeper for her second goal of the season. It was the seventh helper of Fout's career, leaving her fourth in program history and extending her school record for career points to 48.
It was a perfect play visually from any angle.
"Oh, it was beautiful," defender Kate Dunne said. "It was just as good as it looked, I think, from off the field. Yeah, it was perfect."
The Rams would continue to apply pressure in the first 45 minutes, taking nine shots with four on net. Taite DeLange was turned away in the 10th minute, and Fout dented the left post in the 31st. San Diego State had a prime chance late in the half, but Alexis Leath slid it just wide.
She didn't in the second half, which is where the match turned.
The Aztecs were persistent in the second half, the Rams not so much, and in a 10-minute span, the guest had not only tied the game but moved ahead, with Leath tallying both scores.
In the 51st minute, she took a feed from Alexys Ocampo, sliding the shot from left to right past CSU keeper Gray Willson. In the 60th minute, Leath had her team celebrating when she cleaned up a corner kick, the second in succession for the team.
"I think they were just being a little bit more direct, and we expected that, but I think it's different from hearing it and then actually feeling it in the game," midfielder Mia Massey said. "I think just adjusting to that earlier and then we would have been great from there."
Instead, the delayed reaction put pressure on the hosts. Hagen said the Aztecs changed their shape and it just took a bit longer for the Rams to do the same. It also didn't help the team was without the speed of their second-leading scorer, Michaela McGowen, another absence in a season where Hagen has seen too many to be consistent with the lineup for long spells.
What she does believe is her team won't go down without throwing a blow, which Dunne expected herself.
"We talk a lot about fighting, and I think we think we could have fought a little harder in that game throughout the game. I think we let them back in," Dunne said. "We had a lead, and we hate to let them back in, and I think that's part of the reason that makes us so special, is that we are not satisfied with that result.
"We believe that we can beat that team, and we can do better results-wise, so I think it's just the belief that we are the best team in the Mountain West. We all believe that. We believe in the potential, and I think that's the biggest thing."
But to prove it will require getting back to the tournament, and with time winding down, Dunne picked an opportune time to score her first career goal.
Quick sidebar: She started her career at Oklahoma State, and as a center back, she knew opportunities would be few. But she had one in a game, off a corner kick, and just as her attempt was nearing the end line, a teammate tapped it in.
Basically, stole her goal.
No one was there to steal it this time, nor the point the Rams simply had to possess.
*/8Mia Casey sent in the corner with the SDSU keeper trying to punch it away. It went directly to Dunne, who fired off a strong shot Kailey Carlen stopped, just not clean. Dunne was right there to put away her own rebound in the 86th minute.
"Honestly, ever since that, and I'm always happy with whoever scores, honestly, I don't care, but ever since that, I've kind of had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder to get one before my career's over," Dunne said, becoming the team's ninth unique goal scorer of the season. "Corners are my best chance, so I was happy to get my head on some of them tonight. I just want to execute more and more as we go into this next game."
Hagen wouldn't mind, either. She'll take goals from anyone, anywhere, considering the point of the season and her team's situation in the standings. There's a lot at stake, and in the end, she was happy to see her team leave the field with something.
"I don't know what minute we scored and did tie it, but that's part of our core values," she said. "I'm proud of the fact that we tied it up and got a point. We were obviously going for the win at the end, and so were they."
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Soccer
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/ Women's Soccer
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/ Women's Soccer
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/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer2025 Soccer Experience
Thursday, October 09
Colorado State Soccer: Fout (L), Hagen (M), McGowan (R) (9/1/25)
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