Final Box
Laramie, Wyo. – Wyoming soccer went to extra frames for
the first time this season after a Montana goal late in regulation, but nothing
could separate the teams after two overtime periods. The Cowgirls and Grizzlies
ended the contest locked at 1-1 on Friday night at the Louis S. Madrid Sports
Complex.
The Cowgirls (2-0-1)
outshot the Grizzlies (2-0-1) 13-4 and put seven shots on goal to the visitors'
one. Wyoming's goal came in the 57th minute when sophomore midfielder Annika Clayton perfectly threaded a pass between two defenders, leaving freshman
forward Michaela Stark one-on-one with Montana's goalkeeper. Stark slotted her
shot to the lower-left corner to give Wyoming the lead.
Wyoming locked down
defensively for the remainder of the half, looking to earn the win on Stark's
first-career goal. Montana's Hallie Widner played the spoiler in the 87th
minute with a headed shot from Ashlee Pedersen's cross that found the back of
the net.
Both teams played
safely in the extra periods, not wanting to concede the sudden-death goal.
Wyoming tallied two shots while Montana failed to put up one, and neither team
managed to find a game-winner.
"I thought we had a
lot of heart and we battled," said head coach Pete Cuadrado. "We had one
momentary lapse where a player made a great play. I felt like we didn't give
away much the entire game, but Montana had one golden opportunity and took
advantage of it. They're a good team and a good program."
Stark and Clayton, the two
Cowgirls involved in Wyoming's goal, each made their first start of the season
on Friday evening. Clayton's assist marked the second of her career, and she
now leads the team in points (3) with one goal and one assist. Stark, Clayton
and junior defender Alisha Bass each put more shots on goal (2) than the
Grizzlies totaled as a team. Bass and junior goalkeeper Georgia Rowntree both played
the entire 110 minutes of the game.
The Cowgirls will now hit the
road for a matchup with the Iowa Hawkeyes on Sunday. Kick-off from Iowa City is
set for 11 a.m. MT. Live stats for Sunday's contest can be found at
GoWyo.com. Follow the Cowgirls on Twitter (@WYOSOCCER) for live updates
throughout the match.
