Denver women’s soccer wrapped up their fourth straight Summit League regular-season title on Sunday by defeating South Dakota State 2-0. DU and the South Dakota State Jack Rabbits were first and second in the conference, but Denver showed why they were first with a dominant performance. They outshot the Jack Rabbits 18-1, including an 8-1 edge in shots on goal.
Despite this domination, it took a while for DU to break through. They were knocking on the doorstep for a while with their crisp passing and control of possession, but they could not find the net. Senior forward Natalie Beckman (Denver, Colo.) flew around the field, and the ball seemed to stick to her like glue, but she could not find the net—at least not yet.
Though South Dakota State played good defense, considering how much time Denver had the ball near the South Dakota State net–a goal seemed inevitable. The first goal finally came 39 minutes and 40 seconds into the game when sophomore midfielder Addisyn Hyrup (Lakewood, Colo.) delivered a gorgeous ball to junior forward Sydney Sharp (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.), who deposited it into the back of the net. Sharp, whose eight-game goal streak was snapped on Friday got back to her scoring ways with her Summit League-leading 14th goal of the season.
The game flow remained the same in the second half, with Denver constantly on the front foot, playing some of their best soccer of the season. In the 65th minute, Sharp set up a Beckman goal to make the game 2-0.
While neither team would score the rest of the game, Denver would continue to pile on the pressure and did not let South Dakota State gain any momentum. It was a dominant performance that capped off a dominant run in the Summit League. DU went 8-0-1 in league play, outscoring opponents 27-3 and establishing themselves as the team to beat in the Summit League once again.
Sunday was also “senior day.” Denver’s 12 seniors and fifth years were honored after the game where a ceremony was held with family and friends.
Congratulations to Nerea Arrazola (Issaquah, Wash.), Brittney Lewis (Centennial, Colo.), Esther Malers (Fort Collins, Colo.), Hannah Hiatt (Parker, Colo.), Camryn Macmillan (Littleton, Colo.), Taylor Parker (Aurora, Colo.), Natalie Beckman, Chaynee Kingsbury (Windsor, Colo.), Devan Mcswain (Glenwood Springs, Colo.), Sami Feller (Grand Junction, Colo.), Abbey Miller (Draper, Utah) and Anna Schrader (Dallas, Texas) for a phenomenal run at DU.
The upcoming Summit League tournament will take place at DU. The Crimson and Gold play South Dakota in their semifinal game on Thursday, Nov. 4, at 1 p.m. The championship is on Saturday, Nov. 6, at 2 p.m. Come out and support the women’s soccer team as they look to take home a conference championship.
