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Despite being eliminated from postseason contention, there will be plenty at stake when the Colorado College women's soccer team plays host to Air Force on Friday at 7 p.m. Bragging rights between the intra-city rivals as well as positions in the Mountain West and Colorado Cup standings will be on the line when the Falcons descend upon Washburn Field.
Fans can watch Friday's showdown for free on the Tiger Sports Network (
www.cctigers.com/watch/) or the Mountain West Network (
www.themw.com/page/watch-live).
Four Tigers will make their final home appearance on Friday. During their Colorado College careers,
Pelemarie Buika,
Dana Gornick,
Chanisse Hendrix and
Julia Lauzon have been part of teams that have a combined overall record of 43-32-8 and a conference mark of 24-16-2.
CC made three appearances in conference tournaments, won a pair of Conference USA regular season titles, won the 2013 CUSA postseason tournament and earned an automatic berth to the 2013 NCAA Division I Championship.
The Tigers are 7-11-0 overall and 3-7-0 in the Mountain West after dropping a pair of games last week. CC was on the wrong end of a 1-0 decision against Fresno State on Friday at Washburn Field, and fell by a 3-1 count on Sunday at San Jose State. Colorado College currently is 10th in the conference standings with nine points, but trails Air Force by just a point.
The Falcons slipped to 7-8-2 overall and 3-6-1 in the MW after losing to San Jose State, 3-1, and Fresno State, 1-0.Â
CC owns a commanding 11-3-0 advantage in the all-time series with Air Force, which includes a 7-0-0 mark in games played at Colorado College. Regardless of where the teams play, fans can expect a tight, low scoring game since 11 of the 13 previous meetings, including seven of the last eight, were decided by one goal. Three of those games went to overtime, with the Tigers prevailing on each occasion. Only three times in the previous 13 games did the winning team score three or more goals.
The winner of Friday's contest will finish third in the 2016 Colorado Cup Standings. The Tigers, 1-1 in cup matches so far this year, are currently tied for third with Colorado State University at three points. On the opening weekend of the season, CC dropped a 2-1 overtime decision at the University of Northern Colorado, but rebounded to defeat the University of Denver, 3-0, two days later. The Falcons are 0-1-1 and in fifth place with one point. Air Force lost to the University of Colorado, 2-0, on Aug. 19, and battled UNC to a 2-2 draw on Aug. 21.
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Colorado College, which is 3-5-0 at home this season, averages 0.89 goals per game while giving up 1.44. The Tigers feature sophomore forward
Clara Richter, who leads the team with five goals and 11 points. Sophomore midfielder Lauren Millie is second with three goals and seven points, while senior forward Gornick is tied for first with a pair of assists, third with six points and tied for third with a pair of goals.
Junior
Louisa Mackenzie is 3-5-0 in goal with 1.38 goals-against average and a .656 saves percentage, while freshman
Molly Hiniker is 3-5-0 with a 1.62 GAA and a .698 saves ratio.
The 2016 edition of the CC women's soccer team is one of the youngest in head coach
Geoff Bennett's 13-year tenure. With eight sophomores and eight first-year players, two thirds of this year's Tigers are underclassmen. Last Sunday at San Jose State, Colorado College's starting 11 included three sophomores and four freshmen. First-year defender
Aleesa Muir is one of only three Tigers who have started all 16 games.
Air Force, which is 3-2-2 away from home this season, averages 1.29 goals per game while allowing 1.24. The Falcon offense is led by junior forward Brooke Rittmann and sophomore defender Bre Robertson, each of whom has four goals. Rittman also has a team-high 11 points and is second with three assists. Sophomore forward Kaitlyn Cook leads Air Force with six assists and is tied for second with eight points. Jennifer Hiddink is 5-6-2 in goal and owns three of her team's five shutouts. The sophomore keeper has a 1.21 GAA and an .811 saves percentage.
Ten of Colorado College's 18 games have been decided by one goal, including two that went to overtime. The Tigers prevailed by identical 1-0 scores in victories over Pittsburgh, Utah Valley, UMass Lowell, New Mexico and Utah State. The Tigers lost 2-1 on an overtime penalty kick at the University of Northern Colorado, 3-2 in overtime against Northern Arizona and then 1-0 at San Diego State and at home against Nevada .and Fresno State.
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