Weber State University Athletics
Weber State University
Northern Colorado
Bears sink Wildcats in Big Sky soccer opener
9/24/2016 2:16:00 AM | Women's Soccer
OGDEN – When it rains, it pours.
Literally.
With Wildcat Soccer Field nearly underwater from hours of constant rain, the Wildcats and Bears tangled in both teams Big Sky Conference opener on Friday afternoon.
Despite adapting better to the conditions and dominating play from start to finish, the Weber State University women's soccer team fell 2-1 to Northern Colorado on a pair of unfortunate bounces of the ball on the treacherous surface.
The Bears took the lead in the 23rd minute when Mariel Guitierrez played down a cross, landing it in standing water 20 yards out, and she connected from the long distance, snaking her high-arcing shot just inside the post.
The Wildcats nearly equalized just seconds later when sophomore forward Morgan Quarnberg had a breakaway, but was unable to unleash a shot deep in the box as the standing water stopped the ball allowing UNC goalkeeper Madeline Burdick to make the stop.
Northern Colorado make it 2-0 in the 50th minute after Sydney Schroeder attempted a shot in the box that splashed into the water before deflecting off a Wildcat defender and in.
Weber State dominated play in the final 40 minutes, outshooting the Bears 13-3 in the second half and keeping the ball in the attacking third for large stretches of time. One sequence late in the match saw Weber State earn three consecutive corner kicks, including one when a Burdick narrowly pushed a shot from junior midfielder Kelsi Tatton into the crossbar and over for another corner.
The Wildcats domination finally paid off after the Bears goalkeeper pulled Quarnberg down in the box, earning a penalty kick, which she converted in the 88th minute to make it 2-1.
Weber State (0-1-0 Big Sky, 2-5-1 overall) will look to get back on the winning track on Sunday when they host North Dakota at 12 p.m. at Wildcat Soccer Field.
