Tested Early, Brooker Clean in First Career Start

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Oct 9

4:00 p.m.

Women's Soccer

vs Colorado College

Oct 12

4:00 p.m.

Women's Soccer

vs Air Force

Oct 16

8:00 p.m.

Women's Soccer

at Fresno State

Oct 19

1:00 p.m.

Women's Soccer

at San Jose State

Oct 23

4:00 p.m.

Women's Soccer

vs San Diego State

When you step on the pitch for your first career action because the starter in front of you suffered an injury, there's no time to be nervous.

When the follow-up scenario is you have five days to think about making your first career start, it becomes a big ask. It's natural to think about what every conceivable script. The good. The bad.

Which Libby Brooker did since finding out starter Shayna Ross would not be available for Thursday's match against San Jose State at the CSU Soccer Field. It took almost no time for the Spartans to test her, firing off two quality shots in the opening minutes.

A nightmare script? No. Quite the opposite.

"I mean, it's one of those things where we talk about our big five moments. The first five, the last five and five minutes after a goal," Brooker said. "If we're locked in during those moments then we're really exposed. I'm glad that it happened because it was a wake-up call at the beginning of the game that this team is not messing around, and we need to get our minds right and get our head in the game."

The result was an eight-save clean sheet and a fourth consecutive win for the Rams as the offense surged late in a 2-0 victory. Coupled with Utah State's win over San Diego State, the Rams are the only unbeaten team in the Mountain West at 3-0-0.

Brooker's early work gave her team a chance to regroup without the pressure of having to respond on the scoreboard. There were the early breakdowns, and by halftime, Brooker had already had to make a handful of stops to keep the board clean.

In the meantime, the Rams were starting to gain their footing, putting on more pressure offensively and controlling possession overall. The only drawback was they had yet to find the back of the net despite some good looks. The closest came toward the end of the first half when sub Bridget Arnold's shot from the left side of the net found the crossbar.

When coach Keeley Hagen went into the locker room at half, she had some ideas of how to change. What she really appreciated upon entrance was her team was already problem solving. They didn't wait for her to point out problems, they were already seeking solutions.

A couple of adjustments were made, and the result was a pair of Mia Casey assists to put the game on ice.

"I think that's the game. You want to try to put the ball on frame and we talked about that at halftime. It's trying to be relentless, and that's what we try to do," Hagen said. "At some point you hope it goes in, but it doesn't always happen that way. It can be a cruel game. I was happy to get that second goal and a little bit more insurance."

In the 62^nd minute, Casey was in the middle of the field just outside the box when she spotted Liv Stutzman off to her left. Stutzman took little time to put the ball in position to fire off a rocket across the frame, hitting the upper right corner for her third of the season. It also marked the eighth of her career, placing her seventh on the all-time list.

There were a couple of good opportunities for insurance, none of them finding the net. Casey was among them, all alone in front of the net, only to push it wide to the left. Always crushing for a player, but she produced a response.

That was to find Maggie Altman in the middle of the box where she could tally her team-leading fifth of the season in the 83^rd minute.

"In the past I've been really in my head when I miss shots like that, sitters. But something I've been working on is putting all my energy into my teammates, so getting an assist after that mistake was a huge milestone for me," she said as she now leads the team with three. "It makes me feel good even though I made my own mistakes and was upset with myself, I put my energy to my teammates and ultimately, that's what helps the team because we got another goal on the board."

The Rams found themselves in a position for good looks, partly through the way they controlled the ball, the pace they played at and the aggressive nature of looking to strike. The Rams took 26 shots and put 11 on frame, and they earned 12 corner kicks in the 90 minutes.

To Casey, that's a byproduct of what's been taking place in the program the past year and up to this point.

"I think we've all had a year with each other. We brought on two new players, but most of us have a year under our belt with the same style," she said. "Secondly, it's more intentional in training and we have more options. Now we're all on the same page and everybody is making the runs and the person on the ball gets to choose. I think that freedom to choose the best option is really what's setting us apart this season."

Happy with her assists, she was thrilled for Brooker. The two roomed together last year, so she knows the work Brooker put in and how well she handled her role on the team. It's not easy to do, to practice hard and never play, but it's what she did.

Hagen took note too, especially under the circumstances she faced.

"It wasn't our best start for sure, and we talked about it at halftime. She did what she was supposed to do, and that's what we expect with anybody who goes in," Hagen said. "I tell Libby that being No. 2 is the hardest position to play, and then when it's your time you have to be ready. She was ready, and I'm really proud of her."
The team is now 7-3-1 overall with seven shutouts. Five of them belong to Ross, and the two of them combined to blank Colorado College.

Now Brooker has one all to herself, an ideal way to push aside any nerves she felt.

Which she did.

"I had a couple of heart palpitations at first. After that, it helped me know, 'OK, I'm getting my footing, I'm getting into this team well and I'm making the saves I need to,'" Brooker said. "I did get put to work.

"I would like to say I was prepared. I feel like I was doing something right. My role behind Shayna is always to push her to be the best goalkeeper she can be. Keeley's big thing is embracing your role and preparing for your next role. It's always being ready for when your role changes, and I feel I was ready for that tonight. I felt pretty good about my performance."

It was the best scenario for which she could have hoped.

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