LARAMIE, Wyo. – Wyoming soccer begins its second
three-game road trip of 2016 this Tuesday in Greeley, Colo. against the Northern
Colorado Bears. Kick-off from Jackson Stadium is set for 7 p.m.
Wyoming is coming off a thrilling
1-0 double-overtime victory last Friday, which saw junior defender Alisha Bass net
the game-winning goal with just 10 seconds left in the game. The Cowgirls held Utah
Valley scoreless for the first time in 2016, earning junior goalkeeper Georgia Rowntree Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week honors. Bass’ header was her
first goal of the season and fourth game-winning goal of her career.
Wyoming owns the second-best
record in the MW at 4-2-1, and still rank near the top of the conference in
several statistical categories. The Cowgirls averages the most shots per game (16.43)
and is tied for the fourth-most goals per game (1.71) in the MW. Corner kicks
continue to be a strength for Wyoming, now with a conference-best 48 attempts.
San Jose State is second in corner kicks earned with 33.
On the defensive end, the Cowgirls
own the third-lowest goals-against average at 0.94. Wyoming’s seven goals
allowed are the fewest among the five MW teams to play seven games this season. Rowntree is one of just two conference goalkeepers to
record multiple shutouts this season, and her goals-against average of 0.95
ranks fourth in the MW. Rowntree and Bass lead the team
in minutes with 662 and 621, respectively.
“Northern Colorado always brings its
A-game against us, and we expect Tuesday to be no different,” head coach Pete
Cuadrado said. “I think we’re playing really well right now, and we just need
to continue to make improvements. We also need to keep doing what we do well,
which is solid, physical defending.”
Northern Colorado returns seven
starters and 13 letterwinners from last year’s NCAA Tournament squad. The Bears
finished the season at 13-8-2 and second in the Big Sky Conference with a 7-2-1
mark. Northern Colorado earned an NCAA Tournament berth after defeating Idaho
in penalty kicks in the Big Sky Championship.
The Bears are 3-3-1 on the year
and return home after consecutive road losses to Grand Canyon and Denver.
Northern Colorado is undefeated at home this year, with a 2-0-0 record, and against
Mountain West foes, at a mark of 2-0-1.
Midfielder Mariel Gutierrez
returns for her sophomore season after earning Big Sky Newcomer of the Year, as
well as Big Sky All-Tournament team honors, a season ago. Gutierrez leads the
Bears in goals (3) and assists (2) in 2016.
Wyoming leads the all-time series
with Northern Colorado, 8-4-2. The last matchup in Greeley went 110 minutes and
resulted in a 0-0 tie on Sept. 19, 2014.
Live stats of Tuesday’s game are
available at the link above. Follow the Cowgirls on Twitter (@WYOSOCCER) for
live updates throughout the match.
