Oct. 20, 2013
Laramie, Wyo. - A Wyoming goal just over a minute in to the second half doomed the San Jose State University women's soccer team as they fell to the Cowboys, 1-0, in a Mountain West match on Sunday, October 20.
"I thought the team did a good job playing the field," said Head Coach Jeff Leightman. "It was a good, hard battle and both teams had really good looks. But you can't win if you don't score."
The Cowgirls (7-8-2, 3-3-1 MW) got off to a fast start upon returning from halftime. Just 1:04 in to the second half, Sara Paul beat the San Jose State (2-13-1, 1-6-1 MW) defender and played the ball across to Lucie McDowell for the final 1-0 score.
Wyoming outshot San Jose State in the match, 13-8. Megan Molina and Kareli Rodriguez each took three shots to lead the Spartans.
Said Leightman, "We had lots of opportunities but there was a lack of commitment to get to the ball and that's why we struggle to score goals."
In goal for the Spartans, Zoe Makrigiannis (1-7-1) made five saves and allowed the match's lone goal. Cowgirl Alex Boehm (7-8-2) made three saves for her fourth clean sheet of the season.
The match was delayed about a half hour after an inch of overnight snowfall was removed from the pitch just prior to kickoff.
"We faced adversity well and it was a good, balanced game," said Leightman. "Wyoming is a tough place to play. It's 7,200 feet above sea level and it was our second game in three days at altitude. But I was proud of our mentality going in. It was a blizzard and our kids were excited about playing."
San Jose State returns home on Sunday, October 27, at 2:30 p.m. (PDT) to take on Colorado State in Spartan Stadium.