cu

Strikers' paradise for CU team

Buffs beat Baylor 4-0 on Sunday; Texas vanquished Friday

Originally published 10:34 p.m., October 12, 2008
Updated 10:34 p.m., October 12, 2008

With four games remaining in the regular season, the Colorado soccer team is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

The No. 22-ranked Buffs won another Big 12 game on Sunday and took a positive step toward their goal of winning the conference title, defeating Baylor 4-0 on a chilly afternoon.

Junior midfielder Kelly Menachof scored two goals in the second half to lead the Buffs. Senior striker Gianna DeSaverio and Nikki Keller secured CU's other two goals.

Colorado now has three Big 12 games and one non-conference game remaining. CU coach Bill Hempen said the team just needs to continue to play strong as it closes out the regular season.

"We just have to make sure we maintain our focus," Hempen said. "I think they're starting to see a little bit of a light at the end of the tunnel as far as what we can accomplish here at the end of the year."

Colorado dominated Baylor by possessing the ball well in Baylor's half of the field. The Bears struggled offensively to find any rhythm as a result and didn't have a shot on goal in the first half.

The Buffs were firing on all cylinders as DeSaverio kicked things off early for Colorado. She scored three minutes and 59 seconds into the game after Keller crossed the ball into the box and DeSaverio beat Baylor keeper Gianna Quintana on the right side of the goal.

Colorado continued to put pressure on the Bears but couldn't find the back of the net for the rest of the first half. Going into halftime with a 1-0 lead, Hempen cautioned his team against letting up.

"What I made sure they understood is that we're one mistake away from being tied," Hempen said. "Now having said that, they played pretty darn good in the first half. They just had to maintain that focus and maintain that intensity."

The Buffs came out in the second half where they left off and dominated possession again. Keller scored Colorado's second goal of the game shortly after halftime. She managed to strike the ball on a deflected shot after several Buffs fired shots that were blocked by Baylor defenders in the box.

Keller said her goal was a confidence booster for the team at that moment.

"The first half we moved the ball around great," Keller said. "We just weren't finishing it, especially on my goal. It was like the fourth shot and it finally went in. It gave us the confidence we needed and then we got two more after that."

Menachof added the Buffs last two goals in the second half. Her first goal came on a free kick just outside of the penalty box, and she trickled a shot past the keeper on her second.

Sunday's victory came on the heels of a vital victory Friday against No. 10 Texas, which was defeated 1-0 by a goal from Nikki Marshall in the 74th minute of that game.

Entering Sunday's game having scored only one goal all season, Menachof said she has started shooting the ball more to give her team scoring chances.

"I guess something I've thought about is that you can't score unless you shoot," Menachof said. "So I've been trying more and more, especially toward the middle of this season, to just shoot whenever I have the chance."

The Buffs will play their next three games on the road. They face Nebraska on Friday, and will travel to take on Iowa State Sunday. Colorado will then play at Drake before coming home for their regular-season finale against Texas A&M on Oct. 26.

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