RSS
3-goal first half propels Roadrunners
Regis defender Heidi Boersma fights Metro State’s Becca Mays for control of the ball. (photo by Tom Auclair/ColoradoSoccerNow.com)
DENVER — When the women’s soccer teams from Metropolitan State College and Regis University met in mid-October at Auraria Field in downtown Denver, the Roadrunners went on a three-goal tear in the second half. That was the difference between the teams on that day.
On Friday, in the semifinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament, the difference between the teams essentially was a three-goal first half by Metro.
The Roadrunners, undefeated champions of the RMAC regular season and host of the conference championships, turned a 3-0 halftime lead into a 5-1 victory on Saturday. The victory sets up a meeting in the conference final with Fort Lewis College at noon Sunday at Auraria.
Jen Thomas scored two of Metro’s goals in the first half, including the first goal of the match.
In the 19th minute, Metro’s Ashley Nemmers got as far as she could up the right wing and came back toward the middle of the field, dishing off to Hayley Renko, who made a left-footed pass to to Thomas. The senior from Aurora settled with one touch then shot into the right side of the net.
Thomas’ other goal came in the 29th minute and essentially put the game out of reach.
Aleah DeGeneres launched a vertical ball through the Regis defense that no one was fast enough to get to.
Except Thomas.
She ran onto the pass and, as Rangers goalkeeper Nicole Eddings rushed out to cut down Thomas’ angle, the senior striker from Aurora slotted the ball underneath Eddings for a 3-0 lead.
“Luckily I was in the right place at the right time and shot it in,” Thomas said. “Aleah played a great ball and I got a good touch on it. I think we just came out fired up and had a lot of motivation. We just want that championship. We just made stuff happen.”
Thomas’ goals sandwiched one by fellow striker Becca Mays, who gave the Roadrunners a two-goal cushion in the 25th minute. Metro left back Courtney Ryan took a corner kick that Eddings couldn’t handle, and Mays popped the loose ball into the net.
The three goals in roughly 10 minutes sent a chill through the Rangers’ hopes of advancing to Sunday’s title game, but the team regrouped at halftime. The Rangers saw much more of the ball in the second 45 minutes.
Regis outshot Metro 8-7 in the second half and had three corner kicks to the hosts’ one. But Rangers coach J.B. Belzer said efficiency was the key to the game for Metro, which took eight shots on goal in the game and scored five times.
“At the end of the day, it was the efficiency,” Belzer said. “Any time you have a team that’s going to be that efficient for scoring it’s going to win. Full credit to Metro: They played very effectively and very efficiently, and they were the better team today.”
Regis was outscored only 2-1 in the second half, getting a goal from Chelsea Reichard in the 85th minute.
Metro’s other two goals were scored by Ashley Nemmers in the 73rd and Taylor Nicholls in the 86th.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Thomas’ brace in the first half was key for Metro State. The third goal put Regis on ice. Metro has allowed two goals in a game twice this season; it has not allowed three.
SAVE OF THE GAME: Eddings made two nice stops on Mays in the second half. Which was nicer? Take your pick. In the 61st minute, Mays cranked a hard, dipping shot that Eddings did well to smother. It was a difficult play, and she handled it cleanly. About three minutes later, Mays had a point-blank opportunity after a free kick, and Eddings was up to the task once again.
IN THE OTHER NET: Metro State goalkeeper Becca Maloney doesn’t get a lot of ink because she’s not tested all that much. Her finest moment came in the 27th minute. Regis’ Erin Kettmann pushed a through-ball forward to Kari Taylor that Taylor did well to toe-poke away from the defense and into open space, setting herself apart from Metro State’s formidable back line. Maloney, though, anticipated the problem and moved forward without hesitation to smother the ball and any chance Taylor might have had.
INJURY REPORT: RMAC freshman of the year Marissa Davis went down in the seventh minute, darkening the complexion of the match early on for Regis. “I thought we started better today. … I thought we were giving as good as we were getting,” Belzer said. “Losing Mo early in the match changes it for us. Someday we’re going to catch a break and stay healthy through an entire season.” Belzer said Davis would have to visit a doctor before they would know the extent of the injury.
REGIS STARTERS: Nicole Eddings, Chelsea Bokan, Heidi Boersma, lKalley Mahaffey, Katie Horn, Marissa Davis, Danielle Lardner, Chelsea Reichard, Jordan Miller, Maddie Reeves, Erin Kettmann.
METRO STARTERS: Becca Maloney, Jen Thomas, Becca Mays, Madison McQuilliams, Ashley Nemmers, Ashley Munchiando, Kat Gosztyla, Courtney Ryan, Hayley Renko, Nicole Renko, Gabby Klipp.
Leave your response!