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Grizzlies extend Highlands’ scoring drought
The Adams State College women’s soccer team got from Jessica Hellweg, Ashley Grover and Kaylee Smith en route to a 3-0 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory over the New Mexico Highlands on Wednesday in Alamosa.
Grizzly goalkeeper Kirsten Dorsey picked up her second shutout of the campaign as she made five saves for Adams State, 5-10 overall and 3-8 in RMAC play. The Cowgirls, who failed to score for the sixth consecutive match, fell to 2-8 in conference and 2-13 overall.
The Grizzlies took 20 shots and controlled much of the tempo after an evenly played 25 to 30 minutes.
It was near the end of that stretch when Hellweg made a long dribbling run down the right flank while getting around a Cowgirl defender. She then put in a shot into the near, bottom corner of the goal that tipped off Lauren Waite, the Cowgirls’ starting goalkeeper.
Hellweg’s goal was her fifth of the season and tied her with Ashley Sales for the team lead.
Just 10:31 later, Grizzlies freshman Rikki Leyba served a long pass to Grover at the top of the box. Grover turned and rolled in a shot past Waite, who had come out to try to stop the pass. The goal was the first of the season for Grover, and the assist was the first of Leyba’s college career.
The Grizzlies were nearly victimized in the 54th minute on a penalty kick. However, Kimberly Hutchings’ shot clanked off the crossbar, preserving Dorsey’s clean sheet. There was some controversy on the play as Hutchings headed the rebound off the crossbar into the net. The play, though, was disallowed because Hutchings was the first player to touch the ball after her initial shot.
The Grizzlies received a security goal at the 73:58 mark, when Smith took a brilliantly struck free kick from just outside the top left corner of the penalty area that zipped into the top corner of the far side of the net, past Cowgirls reserve goalkeeper Shannon Delarosbil, who had entered the game at the beginning of the second half.
The goal was third of the season for Smith.
Grover, Hellweg and Sales each took four shots to lead the Grizzly attack, and Hutchings and Yolanda Elias had three shots each to lead the Cowgirls.
NMHU had a 5-2 edge in corner kicks but played many of them short.
The Grizzlies face Colorado State-Pueblo on the road at 4 p.m. Friday then return home to face Colorado Christian at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
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