Junior defender Hannah Sharts celebrates after scoring a goal during the first half at the Kittredge Field. Feb. 20, 2021 (Kara Wagenknecht/CU Independent)
Playing at their temporary home turf, Kittredge Field, the University of Colorado soccer team battled to pick up a tightly contested 1-0 win over the Weber State Wildcats. The Buffs’ lone and deciding goal came off a corner kick scored by junior defender Hannah Sharts. The game marked the third straight shutout by the Buffs’ defense to help them finish non-conference play at 3-0.
With the game moved from CU’s normal grass-laden home of Prentup Field due to the recent snowfall, head coach Danny Sanchez was pleased that his team was able to adjust on the turf of Kittredge Field.
“We are playing at a field that is not (our) home field that we haven’t trained on in over three weeks and we gutted out a victory, so we’ll be happy about that,” Sanchez said. “But I think we’ll have a lot of film and a lot of work to do before we get ready for Pac-12 play next week.”
CU had a few scoring opportunities in the first half; the most notable came off a play by junior midfielder/defender Jesse Loren in minute 27. With her back to the ball, Loren was able to pass the ball off her back heel to freshman midfielder Shyra James. James wasn’t able to put the ball in the goal though as her kick floated over the top of the net.
Soon before the first half came to a close, CU found the back of the net in minute 43. Sophomore midfielder Allie Palangi delivered a corner kick that bounced off the head of junior defender Sofia Weiner and dropped right next to Sharts’ feet as she smacked the ball in for a goal to put CU up 1-0. There might have been a little bit of a deja vu feeling for Sharts as her goal last week against Northern Colorado came in a similar manner off a deflection from a corner kick. Sharts now has two goals on the season, one more than she had all of last season.
In the second half, CU had a few chances to expand its lead. One of its best looks came in the sixtieth minute as senior midfielder Shanade Hopcroft broke free down the side of the field and fired a shot at the lower right side of the net. Weber State’s goalie Kaytlin Bradley made an equally strong play, however, to prevent the ball from going in. Hopcroft was also at the center of another close call as her service on a corner kick in minute 75 almost found the head of a CU player but was snagged in midair by Bradley before it could become a real threat.
Two minutes later, Weber State had its best shot of the game as midfielder Jasmine Lotey sent a rocket of a shot towards the goal. CU senior goalkeeper Dani Hansen saved the ball in a great play, as she caught the ball to end the scoring threat. The play highlighted another impressive performance by Hansen who picked up six saves on the afternoon and her second shutout performance of the season.
While Hansen appears to be the frontrunner to stick at goalie, Sanchez said freshman Megan Short and Emma Miller won’t be forgotten.
“Dani (Hansen) dealt with a couple of situations but made the one big play today,” Sanchez said. “That competition is going to continue. We are going to need all of our goalkeepers training hard. I don’t see a scenario where one keeper is playing the rest of the year. It will be a game-by-game decision for the coaching staff.”
Looking ahead to next week, the Buffs will open up Pac-12 play at the University of Washington in back-to-back games. The first game will be on Friday at 4 p.m. MST and the second will take place on Sunday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m. MST.
Contact CU Independent staff writer Matthew Lenneman at matthew.lenneman@colorado.edu.
