LARAMIE, Wyo. – A goal from junior defender
Taylor Burton in the 81st minute proved to be the game-winner in Wyoming's 1-0 victory against San José State on a cold and rainy Sunday afternoon at the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex.
The Spartans (6-5-0, 3-1-0 MW) entered the contest at the top of the conference standings on a five-game winning streak, but Wyoming's (6-4-2, 2-1-1 MW) home unbeaten streak would be the one to survive the day.
The deciding play came in the 81st minute off a corner kick from junior forward
Jessie Gentle. The balled curled to the far corner of the six-yard box, where junior defender
Alyssa Murray headed a ball across frame. A Spartan defender headed the ball off the goal line, but Burton was there to put away the loose ball for her second goal of the season.
The intensity ramped up in the final nine minutes of action, but the Cowgirl defense held strong to preserve the shutout, UW's fifth this season. It's the fourth shutout credited to Rowntree, the 13th of her career. Wyoming held the reigning MW Offensive Player of the Week, senior forward Dorthe Hoppius, to just two shots in her 90 minutes of action.
Senior forward
Alisha Bass led all players with three shots and two shots on goal. Both of Burton's goals this season have been game-winners. Redshirt sophomore midfielder
Summer Taube and junior midfielder
Annika Clayton both made their first start of the season on Sunday. Taube logged 83 minutes while Clayton tallied 63 minutes.
"This win means a lot to us," Bass said. "We've been in a bit of a scoring drought and had a lot of shots that haven't gone our way. It was so nice to get one and I think that'll really mean a lot to our program. The fact that we all battled together in the rain is a testament to the girls."
Wyoming is 4-0-2 at home this season, outscoring opponents 12-3. Sunday's victory was the Cowgirls' first over San José State since the 2014 season, and third all-time in eight head-to-head matches. UW has allowed just one goal in the past five games, and Sunday marked the second time this season where the Cowgirls posted back-to-back shutouts.
Wyoming will head to Nevada for a pair of conference contests next weekend. The Cowgirls will take on the Nevada Wolfpack on Friday at 5:30 p.m. MT. Then on Sunday, Wyoming will compete against UNLV at 3 p.m. The live stream for each match will be available through GoWyo.com, and will also be available for viewing on the Mountain West Network at TheMW.com. Follow the Cowgirls on Twitter (@WYOSOCCER) for live updates throughout the match.
