Sara Krupski
The Paw Print
Friday afternoon the Adams State Grizzlies fell to the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Mountain Lions 8-0 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play at Murphy Field. The 8-0 loss allowed the Mountain Lions to match their school record for most goals scored in a game. With this loss the Grizzlies fell to 0-10 overall and to 0-7 in RMAC play during their second year overall and their first time to participate in a full and brutal RMAC schedule.
The Mountain Lions marked seven of their goals in the first half of the game. Matt Friesen and Mike Mason are credited with the first seven goals. Friesen scored three goals of the first half game, two of which came in the first eight minutes of the match. Mason tallied a school record in assists which came with his first two goals of the game. The Mountain Lions also received a goal and assist from Carlos Verdugo, a pair of assists from Jaron Stewart ,a goal from Keenan Forder, and another goal from Austin Bell.
Adams State goalkeeper Paul Pizza is currently ranked second in the RMAC and tenth nationally for saves per game (7.00), but was taken out of the game 46 seconds into the match due to a leg injury.
The Mountain Lions attacked early on the Grizzly defense when Friesen made his first goal with 2:47 into the game. Then less than five minutes later Friesen made another goal from a corner kick made by Mason.
Twelve minutes into the game Mason started adding to the Mountain Lions’ score when he kicked in the ball from a cross pass made by Stewart. Following, Forder scored his first goal of the game off of a corner kick made by Mason.
Following in pursuit, Verdugo marked his third goal of the season just 1:14 later, after Mason sent a cross pass from the right side of the field before Friesen finished off the first half scoring with his third goal of the afternoon with 49 seconds to go in the period.
After intermission the Grizzly defense came out on top but failed to handle the attack the Mountain Lions placed on them. During the second half, Ryan Piechowski placed assist on Bell’s goal that allowed the Mountain Lions to match their school record set against Ripon (Wisc.) in 1992 and matched against Southwestern in 2000.
Throughout the contest the Mountain Lions took 30 total shots, including 14 on goal. The Grizzlies had eight total shots, including two on goal. Freshman midfielder Kyle Lanham led the way for the Grizzlies with three. The Grizzlies’ Dillon Lee made six saves after relieving Pizza in the first minute.
The Grizzlies broke their scoreless drought, but still fall to the nation’s seventeenth ranked Regis University Rangers with a score of 8-1 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play. Junior Joseph Jallow made the lone goal which was also his first career goal.
The Rangers marked three goals in the first half alone and another five in the second as they bested their record to 8-1-2 overall and to 4-1-2 in conference play while bringing their unbeaten streak to four games.
This is Adams State’s second season ever, and the team was out five players due to injury and were hammered by twenty Ranger fouls throughout the match. This loss dropped the Grizzlies to 0-11 and 0-8 in conference play.
Nathan Kafer scored the first goal of the contest and came into the match as Regis’s leading scorer, documenting his sixth goal of the season. Five minutes later Nduo Chilaka scored his first goal of the match.
Grizzly goalkeeper Dillion Lee managed to make six saves during the afternoon game. The Grizzly defense fought hard and managed to keep the score at 2-0 for nearly a half-hour before Keegan Bast marked his first goal of the season off a corner kick made by Patrick Freeman, which was only one of 12 the Rangers had on the day.
The Grizzlies went into the second half down 3-0 and fell to 5-0 after Rangers Kyle Emge connected one of his three shots in goal. Emge, who had all three of his goals in the second half, scored just 2:31 into the second half when he connecting a header from a loose ball resulting from a free kick made by Justin Ortinau.
Kafer then made his second goal just 2:50 later when Ortinau ran down the right side sending a cross pass to Kafer, which resulted in the Rangers’ fifth goal.
Just before the hour mark, Kafer stole a Grizzly free kick as they went down the field before sending it to Chilaka who connected the shot in goal. This was Chilaka’s second goal of the day.
Fast in pursuit the Grizzlies tallied their lone goal of the game just 37 seconds later, as freshman midfielder Kyle Lanham connected a pass to Jallow who made and incredible shot from 25 yards out into the net.
The Rangers responded as Emge then finished the scoring of the game within the 73rd and 75th minute with two goals from assists made by Ryan Romback and Ortinau.
The Rangers tallied 31 shots on the afternoon, putting 14 on goal as Kafer led the way with six shots. The Grizzlies had four total shots, including three on goal with one of them made by Jallow.
The Grizzlies have played eight of their first eleven matches at home, will finish their season with five of their last six games away from home starting Friday at Colorado Christian. The Cougars took a 2-1 double-overtime victory away from the Grizzlies on Sept. 19.
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