Soccer Match Notes: Rams open up conference slate

Sept. 25, 2014

Rams Open Up Conference Slate

After a non-conference schedule that tested Colorado State both at home and on the road, the Rams will host a pair of Nevada schools to open up Mountain West play. CSU first plays host to UNLV, who the Rams lost to 1-0 last year. Following UNLV, CSU will take on Nevada, who the Rams beat in Nevada for their only conference win of 2013.

The Colorado State Rams embark on the program's second season ever with a schedule featuring some of the premier programs in the sport. On the year, the Rams will play 10 matches at home, eight on the road and one at a neutral site.

The Iron Woman

Through eight matches this season, only senior defender Jami Vaughn has played every possible minute in the field for the Rams. This a familiar sight for Colorado State, as the Kansas transfer was one of just three players in the entire Mountain West to play every possible minute in 2013. Dating back to last year when she first came to Colorado State, Vaughn has now plaed every possible minute in 26-consecutive matches, a streak that spans 2,349 minutes without a sub. Vaughn's streak leads the Mountain West.

A Pair Of Wins For The Rams Will...

Give Colorado State its first winning streak in program history.
Improve CSU to 4-6-0 in 2014
Set a new program record for wins in a season.
Give the Rams their first Mountain West wins of the year. In 2013, CSU went 1-9-0 in conference play.
Improve Head Coach Bill Hempen's career record to 282-206-47. He currently ranks No. 19 among Division I active coaches in all-time wins.

Eckert's Moment

Without a goal in the 2014 campaign, sophomore midfielder Amy Eckert chose a timely moment for her first goal of the season, and second of her career. Three minutes into overtime against College of Charleston, Eckert snuck behind the defense and received a pass from junior forward Gianna Bertana. Just inside the edge of the box, Eckert one-timed the pass and slotted the ball into the corner of the net to give CSU it's second win of the year, matching the team's total from last year.

Attacking From The Back

It's no secret that Colorado State loves to use its wing backs as part of its attack. That trend is never more clear than when looking at the Rams' senior left back, Catherine Ruder. Through eight matches, Ruder leads the team with 14 shots and five shots on goal, including a team-most three vs. SMU on Sept. 12. Fellow senior defender Jami Vaughn is third on the team with four shots.

Depth is Key

Head Coach Bill Hempen has not been afraid to go to his bench early in this 2014 season. As the team continues to improve upon its fitness and experiment with different lineups, Hempen has played 24 different girls already this season, with all 24 girls seeing action in at least two matches. 

Experience At The Back

While Colorado State returns just nine players from last year's team, the 2014 Rams feature plenty of experence at key positions. CSU returns its entire starting defense from last year, including co-captains Megan Speed and Jami Vaughn. Speed and Vaughn are also flanked on the outside by Jessica Stauffer and Catherine Ruder, who each give the Rams valuable leadership and strong attacking options from the back. Out of a possible 26 matches, Speed, Vaughn, Stauffer and Ruder have been the starting defense for 22 of them. In 2013, Stauffer missed two matches due to a broken wrist.

Jumping On The Opponent Early

Colorado State knows the importance of getting off to a quick start in a match. An early goal can completely tilt the entire momentum of the match. All three of the Rams' wins have come when they have scored the first goal. All-time, CSU is 4-0-1 when scoring first, and 0-19-0 all-time when conceding the first goal of the match.

Second Half Action

In Colorado State's eight matches this season, the matches have started to open up in the second half. Across the board, CSU's stats have gone up across the board in the second half of matches. While the Rams have tallied 20 total shots in the first half of matches this season, that total jumps to 48 in the second half of matches. Similarly, CSU's corners jump from seven in the first half to 24 in the second half this year. Both of CSU's goals this season have also been scored after the intermission.

For Nevada, this trend also holds true. The Wolf Pack have been outscored 16-1 in the first halves of matches this year, but have played fairly even against their opponents, being outscored just 6-5 in the second halves.

Fresh Faces

Fans can expect to see plenty of fresh faces on the 2014 Rams. The second-year program brings in a total of 18 newcomers, including 11 freshmen and seven transfers. The new additions are expected to give the Rams plenty of competition and depth.

Colorado Cup

With a win over Northern Colorado, Colorado State earned its first win in the Colorado Cup. The Colorado Cup is a season-long tournament between the six division I teams in Colorado. This is CSU's first year as part of the Colorado Cup, which Head Coach Bill Hempen helped create. 

The Rams lost their first match of the Colorado Cup, 2-0 at Colorado, and knocked off UNC 1-0 at home. With four points through two matches, the Rams are in fifth place.

2014 Colorado Cup Table

Pl. Team Pts. Record GF

1. Colorado 14 3-0-0 5

2. Colorado College 8 1-1-0 5

3. Denver 7 1-2-0 4

- Northern Colorado 6 1-2-0 3

5. Colorado State 4 1-1-0 1

6. Air Force 0 0-1-0 0

The Lagoon - Home of the Rams

Located on the field just east of the Lory Student Center on the Colorado State campus, The Lagoon serves as the Home of Rams Soccer. 

Free parking will be available for all CSU home matches in the Moby lot.

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