The Denver women’s soccer team hosted Saint Mary’s California at Peter Barton Stadium on Sept. 26, with Denver entering at 1-5-2 and Saint Mary’s at 3-0-2.
Both teams came out with pressure early, battling for possession and creating chances on both sides of the field.
Sophomore defender Annie Philbin worked to limit Saint Mary’s opportunities in front of the goal.
Denver created an early chance when sixth year midfielder Samantha Freiling fired a shot from the top of the box. But, Saint Mary’s goalkeeper tipped the ball over the crossbar to keep the match scoreless.
Freshman midfielder Reese Morgan used her speed to pressure Saint Mary’s defense and keep possession in the Gaels attacking half. Saint Mary’s responded with a breakaway, but senior goalkeeper Jaidin Kinch made a strong jumping save to keep the game tied.
Saint Mary’s continued to test Denver with quick passing and strong footwork. Denver answered with a chance of its own when senior midfielder Kera Nguyen’s shot went wide left of the post.
From the sidelines, assistant coach Marlon McKenzie called for Denver to push forward and move higher up the field.
In the 25th minute, Denver challenged a call after the team believed Saint Mary’s committed a handball inside the box. Following a video review, the referee ruled there was no handball.
Denver continued to find opportunities through its midfield. Junior midfielder Rowan LaPiano and freshman forward Maeve Morgan connected passes to work the ball through Saint Mary’s defense.
With less than four minutes remaining in the first half, sophomore forward Lilly Lund broke through the defense and took a shot towards the Saint Mary’s goal. The attempt sailed just over the crossbar.
The match remained scoreless at halftime.
Denver came out into the second half looking to break the deadlock. Both teams continued to battle for possession and searched for a goal to take the lead.
In the 50th minute, Saint Mary’s challenged a foul call. After review, the referee ruled there was no foul on the play.
Denver finally broke through in the 56th minute. Sophomore forward/defender Kacey Harvey sent a pass into the box, finding Reese Morgan, who scored in the lower right corner to give Denver a 1-0 lead.
“We just had a lot of momentum going into this game and in the second half,” Reese Morgan said. “In the locker room we were saying we need to get a goal. We’ve had all this momentum in the first half and we need to talk this into the second half.”
Saint Mary’s responded quickly. Less than three minutes later, the Gaels Molly Silva scored on a free kick to tie the match 1-1.
Denver continued to pressure the Saint Mary’s defense as LaPiano worked through the midfield to help create chances for the Crimson and Gold. The intensity picked up as both teams pushed to break the tie.
Denver found the breakthrough again in the 74th minute. A shot forced Saint Mary’s goalkeeper to make a save, but she could not hold onto the ball. Maeve Morgan followed the play and tapped the rebound into the lower left corner of the goal.
Maeve Morgan’s goal put Denver back in front, 2-1.
“For us coming into the WCC, we just had our foot on the pedal for the whole 90 minute game,” Maeve Morgan said. “Every single person that stepped on the field gave 100%, so I don’t think anything changed when both of us scored.”
The Crimson and Gold held off Saint Mary’s through the final minutes to secure the 2-1 victory.
Denver will return to action against Santa Clara in Santa Clara, Calif., on Oct. 3.
