South Dakota 1-2 Denver (Adler 13’, Thau 25’, OG 68’) | Denver Ticket Office | 2017 Schedule  | Donate Today

VERMILLION, S.D. – The University of Denver women’s soccer team improved to 2-1-0 in Summit League play, and earned its first three points on the road of the 2017 campaign in a 2-1 victory over South Dakota on Friday morning at the First Bank and Trust Soccer Complex.

 

“After kickoff moved up to 11 a.m., a weather delay once we got here and a disjointed warm-up, I think we did a great job of starting the game off on the right foot on the road,” head coach Jeff Hooker said. “To be honest, it was a game similar to the weather. It wasn’t the prettiest game in the world, but when you come on the road in league play and take home all three points, it’s a good trip.

 

“I thought that we absorbed way too much pressure in the middle of the second half, and we weren’t as composed on the ball as I would have liked to see. The overall effort was there, and we got great matches from our leaders today.”

 

Denver took the lead in the 13^th minute off sophomore Hannah Adler’s (Oak Park, Calif.) seventh goal of the season. Junior outside back Hannah Bricker (Fort Collins, Colo.) played Denver’s first corner kick of the morning to the back post, where Adler got on the end of it and headed it into the left corner. Friday’s goal was the 11^th of Adler’s career, and the assist was both Bricker’s second of the season and of her three-year career.

 

South Dakota drew level in the 25^th minute when Cooper Thau curled in a free kick from 25 yards out into the bottom left corner past sophomore Brittany Wilson (Littleton, Colo.).

 

Denver outshot the home side 9-6 in the opening 45 minutes, forcing USD keeper Sydney Hardin into four saves, in addition to the header Adler put by the goalie. The Pioneers took all four corner kicks taken in the first half, scoring off Bricker’s first service.

 

The Crimson and Gold got the lead back in the 68^th minute on a South Dakota own goal, giving the visitors a 2-1 advantage heading into the final 20 minutes of play in Vermillion.

 

In the final statistics, South Dakota and Denver finished all square in shots at 15 apiece. Wilson made five saves in her second-straight win.