Sports Reporter
ksparkhu@mavs.coloradomesa.edu
The women’s soccer team entered this week facing a do-or-die situation, needing to notch a victory over Metro State to clinch a playoff berth for the second straight season. It was followed by a tough matchup against second place Regis in their home finale.
The stage was set for an intense RMAC showdown under the lights at Walker Field on Senior Night on Friday, and the Mavericks delivered.
Midway through the first half, attacker Tayler Franklin took advantage of a 50-50 ball with the Roadrunner goalkeeper and put it in the back of the net for the go-ahead goal.
The Mavericks’ defense stiffened, even after defender Lauren Brouse earned herself a red card, and left the Mavericks down a player for over 30 minutes. The Roadrunners had 20 second-half shots, but CMU’s Sarah Schnetzler absorbed the barrage and accounted for 14 saves.
“We matched up very well against Metro and really needed a win,” coach Erin Sharpe said. “Metro was first in RMAC in the latest rankings and ranked third in the D2 Regional Poll, so this was obviously a great win for us. It helped us to get closer to achieve our season-long goal of winning the RMAC. Schnetzler showed a ton of leadership and tons of confidence.”
The win improved the Mavericks record to 9-3-3 overall and 6-3-2 in conference play.
“Our last few games prior to Metro, we did not play our best,” captain Leilani Wiernicki said. “It was time to turn our season around and come together to play like we all know how to. It was also senior night, and we didn’t want them to have to suffer a loss on their night.”
Sunday was the Mavericks’ home finale against a Regis team ranked second in the RMAC.
After 87 minutes of scoreless play, Regis scored off of a corner kick that rolled past several Maverick defenders and into the back of the net to break the tie and seal the victory 1-0.
“There was a bit of confusion on the play,” Sharpe said. “It was a low corner kick, which was very uncharacteristic and unexpected, given that Regis had a huge height advantage on us. For the first 87 minutes, I felt like we out-played them, and for them to score off that is a heartbreaker.”
The Mavericks (9-4-3, 6-4-2), have two regular season games left, both on the road against CSU – Pueblo (1-12-2), and Colorado Mines (11-4), to attempt to rise in the RMAC standings and secure either a first round bye or a guaranteed home game.
“The top six spots are still tight, and anything can happen,” Sharpe said. “We are still in the hunt to get a first round bye, but still need help from other a few other teams. With an opportunity to potentially play at home, we know we have to have an impressive win over Pueblo and an upset over Mines.”
Wiernicki added that the weekend shows the great coaching staff the players have and, that looking forward, the team has little doubt that they will help the team be a strong competitor in postseason play.
“Most of us were on this team last year and we had great success,” Wiernicki said. “That experience will help because we know what it takes to get there and get it done.”
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