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The University of Cincinnati women's soccer team dropped a physical 1-0 decision on Friday night to Colorado in Boulder, Colorado.
The Bearcats (2-2-1) were unlucky against the Buffs' (3-1-1) as the lone goal scored was by Colorado in the 48th minute on a ball that hit off the crossbar and spun back into the goal.
In the 54th minute, Julie Gavorski diced through a pair of CU defenders and got inside the 18 before rocketing a shot towards the goal, but the sophomore's shot was knocked down by what appeared to be a Buffs' arm. Unfortunately, the officials did not see the handball, which would have resulted in a penalty kick for the Bearcats.
Redshirt junior Natalie Smith played all 90 minutes in net for the Bearcats and recorded five saves.
// GOAL SUMMARY
48' - COL: Erin Greening slid in between two UC defenders to boot a ball towards the net, and her shot rose over Smith's diving save attempt. The ball kept rising until it knocked of the crossbar and spun back into the goal.
// STAFFORD'S STANCE
There were some factors in the game that bothered me," said head coach Neil Stafford. "None more than the fact that we weren't competitive enough and didn't do enough to win. Whenever we come somewhere that we haven't been to before or very often, it's very important for us as a program to increase our brand of play and identity. Colorado had the best athletes we have seen all season. They were fast, fit, strong, and had great anticipation, but we can compete better than we did tonight."
// TOP SCORING OPPORTUNITIES
31' -- Kelsey Parrinello slipped a pass through the Buffs' defense to Gavorski, who was making a run towards the near post. The sophomore forward took a touch before driving a shot towards the goal, but CU's goalkeeper made the save.
// KEY SAVES
24' -- Smith stayed on her line as Colorado bent in a cross to the head of Danica Evans. Evans speared the ball towards the center of the goal, but Smith was there to collect the hard header.
67' -- A ball dribbled towards the left, top corner of the box before a Colorado player pounded a shot to the far post. Smith scurried over to the bat the ball and collect the save off the bounce.
// NEXT MATCH
The Bearcats get one day of rest before they face off against Colorado College on Sunday in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The match is slated for 2 p.m., and it can be watched for free on the Mountain West Network's web stream.