In its final two nonconference games of the season, the Pioneer women’s soccer team topped the TCU Horned Frogs in an exciting 2-1 overtime win on Friday and beat the No. 15 University of Portland Pilots 3-1 on Sunday.
These victories brought the team to a 8-1-2 record for the season. The Pioneers remain undefeated on their home field, and their victory over Portland marked their first win over a ranked opponent in five years.
On Friday, the Pioneers started off strong when senior forward Kaitlin Bast scored off a pass by fellow senior Katy Van Lieshout. Aside from putting the Pioneers in the lead, this goal moved Bast into 6th place on both DU’s all-time points and all-time goals lists, with 83 and 33, respectively.
“I have to attribute [the record] to my team, because it was a great effort from everyone, and I couldn’t do it alone,” said Bast.
TCU came back with a goal in the second half. After regulation play ended, the teams were sent into overtime at 1-1.
“We weren’t going to give up, even after they scored in the second half. It just showed our focus and mentality that we brought to the field,” said senior forward Kalie Vaughn.
With only two minutes left in the overtime period, sophomore midfielder Nikki Pappalardo found Vaughn, who was able to score the final goal for the win.
“I think we turned the ball over a little bit too easily and gave them more chances than I think we should have,” said head coach Jeff Hooker. “We’ve got to get our shots on goal; probably only one of every three was on target. But I’m happy with the win. There’s really no such thing as a bad win, so we’ll take it.”
Vaughn compared Friday’s victory to the Pioneers’ 3-3 tie with Texas the previous weekend.
“Last weekend, we came back from a 2-0 deficit, and this time they were the ones who came back,” said Vaughn. “I think we just had to stay grounded and show what we’re made of.”
On Sunday, junior forward Kristen Hamilton netted her first career hat trick and led the Pioneers to a 3-1 win.
“I thought we were able to keep the ball a lot better today than we have here in the past,” said Hooker. “We didn’t have to spend as much time chasing the ball around and defending. We did a great job of moving the ball around and being prepared for a match on the road in a historically tough place to play.”
Portland scored first with a goal in the 17th minute. The Pioneers did not let them hold on to the lead for long, however, as junior midfielder Nicholette DiGiacomo set Hamilton up for the first of her three goals.
At half, the Crimson and Gold had extended their lead to 2-1 with a goal off a header by Hamilton after a pass from junior defender Cassidy Larson.
Hamilton’s third goal came in the second half when she netted a ball passed by Bast.
“We knew coming out to Portland wasn’t going to be an easy task,” said Hamilton. “We showed a lot of character coming out here today and getting a 3-1 win. I’m proud of this team. We’ll enjoy this win today and start focusing on conference play tomorrow.”
The Pioneers will begin conference play in their inaugural season in the Western Athletic Conference as they host San Jose State on Friday at 7 p.m. and Utah State on Sunday at 12 p.m.
