Rams Right Ship with Conference Win at Home

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Oct 9

4:00 p.m.

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vs Colorado College

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vs Air Force

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at Fresno State

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at San Jose State

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vs San Diego State

There was a feeling of purpose to the day.

Colorado State's soccer team hadn't played on its home pitch for nearly a month. The lead into Mountain West play came with the first loss of the season, followed by a tie, both on the road. Then the Rams stayed on the road to open conference.

And not just against anybody, but the two teams picked ahead of them in the preseason poll, Utah State and Boise State. That trip led to a 0-1-1 start, and when Sunday's match with UNLV came about, Colorado State stood alone at the bottom of the standings.

A bunch of circumstance, to be sure, but also a feeling of getting the train rolling again. To get the game-winning goal out of a bit of chaos seemed a fitting way to lift the curtain.

"I think the girls kind of got a little chip on their shoulder when they say (all) that. And they're like, 'listen, the weekend didn't go how they wanted.' We felt like we performed well, but that's what I told the group. It's not about how well you play. It's about getting the results.

"I think at the end of the day, they have a little bit of a chip, and they have the hunger now because we're starting a little bit in the hole. There's still a lot left to play for, and that's what we're excited about."

More excited after the 1-0 win over the Rebels, the Rams' goal coming in the 18^th minute when Mia Massey drilled a rebound off a shot from Kaja Dionne into the net.

It was a scrum to be sure. A corner which led to a deflected ball to Dionne. The power on her shot rifled off the hands of Rebel keeper Hanne Breuer and found the foot of Masey, who was ready to deliver in the midst of the storm.

"Today it felt really calm. I saw an opening, and I was just, this is going in the back of the net and I'm going to do it for my teammates," Massey said. "That's kind of what it took. I was really calm today, so it's good."

It was her first goal of the season, the second of her career, and it was the first assist for Dionne on the campaign.

Most of all, it produced the first conference win the first chance the Rams had to play at home.

Part of the reason they found themselves in the cellar was this was their lone outing of the week, while it was the second day of play for most of the league. One match behind is one chance less to gain points.

The Rams seized the opportunity to climb back.

"I think we came into this week, and we have one game this week, we're going to win and we're going to get a win in the column. The conference is kind of chaotic right now.," Massey said. "It's always a dogfight every single game, so I think we really just wanted to get a win at home, come back and just prove who we are, that we're a winning team."

Hagen wasn't angry with the schedule makers, with the Aggies and Broncos first on the chart. It gave her team a chance to see the expected top of the standings, a trip the Rams came away with a point.

It gave her squad a chance to add to the well of styles they'll see, because there's more coming. It helps with making adjustments, not just from match to match, sometimes from half to half, which was the case Sunday.

The Rebels had a nice run of possession to start the game, yet it never led to a shot on goal against Gray Willson. In the final 45 minutes, the Rebels changed and so did the numbers.

UNLV fired off seven shots, four on goal. The first prime chance for the guests came in the 50^th minute, when a turnover gave Scarlette Druian a good look at the net, Willson going high for the save. It was in the 76^th and 77^th minutes when she had to divert chances from Julia Salem.

The increased pressure stemmed from an altered attack.

"I think one of our things this season has been working on being able to adjust on the field, and I think we really did that in the second half," defender Kacie Laurie said. "We adjusted to their two sixes and then they switched to attacking mids. I think all the leaders on the team really helped."

It's a backline she's been a part of all season, but one which has recently changed with Bridget Arnold – found up top early in her career – back from injury. The CSU defense has now produced five clean sheets on the season, all while building a cohesion with each other.

Arnold has been a longstanding member of the team, which Laurie said made the switch easier to adjust to as a group.

"I think we all play great together and we all trust each other, so no matter who you're playing next to, we work really well together. I think it's been good," Laurie said. "I think her passing playing forward really helps us in the attack because she gets up high and really contributes to our attack. So, I think that she's not only a defender, she's still getting up the wing."

And the desire for the team to get up was a primary focus for the week. It paid off with the goal they scored and paid off with the end result.

One cannot design a goal the way Massey scored hers, but a coach can prepare a team for being in the right position to capitalize.

"We worked all week on forward runs, to be honest. I think it was there with multiple people in the box," Hagen said. "Sometimes the thing is you create your own luck because you're making those runs and being optimistic and choosing the right place at the right time. And that's what those forward runs help with."

As wins help with forward movement up the standings.

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