Colorado State University Athletics
CSU Soccer Travels to Face Pair of Big Ten Foes
8/31/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Colorado State (2-2-0) at Iowa (3-1-0)
Friday, September 2 | 6 p.m. MT/7 p.m. CT
Iowa Soccer Complex | Iowa City, Iowa
Coverage: Live Streaming | Live Stats
Colorado State (2-2-0) at No. 24 Northwestern (3-0-0)
Sunday, September 4 | 12 p.m. MT/1 p.m. CT
Martin Stadium | Evanston, Ill.
Coverage: Live Streaming | Live Stats
Colorado State Soccer: Notes | Twitter
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Following its first two home matches of the season, the Colorado State soccer team returns to the road for contests at Iowa and 24th-ranked Northwestern.
CSU opens the weekend at Iowa on Friday, Sept. 2, with a start time set for 6 p.m. MT (7 p.m. CT). The Rams bookend the weekend with a noon MT (1 p.m. CT) match at Northwestern on Sunday, Sept. 4.
Colorado State has opened the season at 2-2-0, including a 2-0 win over Denver and 2-1 victory over SIUE last weekend. Through four games, CSU has been led offensively by sophomore forward Kaija Ornes, who has scored two of five Ram goals.
All three goaltenders on the Rams’ roster have seen time in the net thus far this season, with freshman Natalie Dierickx and redshirt freshman Sydney Hall each earning two starts apiece. Dierickx paces the group with six saves and 180 minutes played, while Hall was in net for CSU’s shutout victory over Denver.
Live stats will be available on CSURams.com for both contests. Each host institution will also make a live stream available for Sunday's match, which can be accessed through their respective links on the soccer schedule page on CSURams.com.
All-Time Against This Week's Foes
Colorado State has only met each of this weekend's Big Ten foes once. Iowa and Northwestern each own a 1-0-0 all-time series edge, respectively, over the Rams.
Colorado State previously met Iowa in 2014 for a meeting that the Hawkeyes won, 4-0. The Wildcats edged the Rams, 2-1, in their meeting last season.
All-Time vs. Iowa (0-1-0)
11/1/2013 – Home - L, 0-4
All-Time vs. Northwestern (0-1-0)
9/22/2013 – Home - L, 1-2
About This Week's Opponents
Each of Iowa and Northwestern enter this weekend with three wins so far in 2016. Following a season-opening 5-3 loss at Creighton, the Hawkeyes have defeated Missouri (2-1), Eastern Michigan (1-0) and Wyoming (3-2).
Northwestern is undefeated to this point in the season, highlighted by shutout wins over VCU (1-0) and James Madison (3-0). Most recently, the Wildcats defeated DePaul, 2-1.
Spreading the Goals Around
Over the first four games of the season, Colorado State has scored five times, with the total accounted for by four players. Sophomore forward Kaija Ornes leads the club with two goals, a total that ranks fourth in the Mountain West Conference.
Three of four CSU goal-scorers are sophomores or younger, including Ornes, sophomore defender/midfielder Beth Plentl and freshman midfielder Alex Lanning. Senior midfielder Amy Eckert accounts for the remaining goal.
Back Again
The Rams return seven starters and 15 letterwinners from last year's roster, including a bulk of their offensive production from. Colorado State's Hannah Gerdin had a team-high 12 points on five goals last year. Gerdin has notched the most points in a single season for a CSU player, and is approaching the all-time career points leader Gianna Bertana (15).
Colorado State is hoping that redshirt senior Taylor Nelson will provide a bigger impact this season on both sides of the field. Nelson returns from a five-point performance last year, the most from a CSU defender. Nelson also had the third most shots on the roster last season. Paige Brandt also returns to the roster as the only goalkeeper with collegiate game experience.
Record-Setting Freshman In 2015
In her first collegiate season last year, current sophomore Hannah Gerdin has made an immediate impact, leading the Rams with 12 points.
Gerdin added her fifth goal of the season versus New Mexico after she headed a free kick in the 15th minute to give the Rams an early 1-0 lead.
Gerdin's 12 points on the season were a freshman class and overall school record at Colorado State, while her five goals are a program record for the most goals in a single season.
Down 2-0 at Air Force with five minutes to play, Gerdin led a furious comeback, finding the back of the net twice in the waning moments to send the match to overtime. Gerdin was just the third player in CSU history to have a multi-goal match to her name.
She is approaching the mark for most career points in CSU program history. The current leader is Gianna Bertana with 15 points. On the season, Gerdin registered a team-high 48 shots, also leading the team with 24 shots on goal. Gerdin scored the first points of her career with her first goal in the Rams' 2-1 loss at Grand Canyon.
The Lagoon - Home of the Rams
Located on the field just west of the Lory Student Center on the Colorado State campus, The Lagoon serves as the home of Rams Soccer.
Free parking is available for all home matches starting an hour before the game in the Moby Arena parking lot located at the northeast corner of Shields and Elizabeth Streets.
Fourth Year of Program
Colorado State head coach Bill Hempen guides the Rams into its fourth year as a program. A 27-year head coaching veteran, Hempen was the first coach ever hired in the program's history, with CSU's first season of play in 2013.
The Rams, hoping to qualify for their first Mountain West postseason tournament and contend for the title, were picked in the Mountain West coaches' poll to finish 12th.
Exhibition a Sign of Things to Come?
CSU battled with visiting Washington State to a 1-1 tie in exhibition play earlier this fall. The two teams battled throughout the first half but neither team could find the back of the net and went into the halftime break scoreless. Less than 10 minutes into the second half, CSU got possession and moved it down the left side of the field.
WSU interrupted the flow briefly before sophomore Hannah Gerdin recovered the ball, went in off the left side and drove a shot that went off the Cougar keeper high. The shot spun hard when it hit the ground and slid into the net for a 1-0 Rams advantage.
In the 88th minute, the 2015 NCAA Tournament squad got its lone goal after a Cougar was dragged down in the box and Kailana Johnson slotted the penalty kick for the tying goal. Due to the nature of the exhibition, no overtime was played.
