GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Four different players contributed to Colorado Mesa's dominant 5-1 in their season opener against Texas Permian Basin, Friday night on Maverick Field.
Addie Randel,
Tatum Pfalmer and
Adessa Correa scored their first goals in their Maverick careers.
Lila Dere picked up right where she left off last season, adding two more goals to her career total.
The Mavericks held the Falcons to just three shots total, taking 24 of their own, 11 of which were targeted between the goal posts.
Chloe Dody grabbed the start, and earned the win making a save.in 71-minutes played. Midfielder,
Mira Houck made her CMU debut as well, contributing significantly to the Mavericks offense and defense.
Nearing the 8-minute mark,
Mikayla Eccher snuck one between the last line of Falcon defenders to a charging Dere who took a couple touches before sending a high shot over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net for the first score of the evening.
Just about midway through the first half, the same duo of Eccher and Dere connected, with the freshman forward sneaking one just inside of the right-side post for her second goal of the night.
The Mavericks had a few more scoring opportunities in the first, a couple of shots narrowly missing the goal. Regardless, CMU headed into the locker room with a 2-0 lead.
As the night fell on Maverick Field, CMU continued to put pressure on the Falcons defense, charging forward and maintaining possession. Two-minutes into the second half,
Addie Randel made a sprint towards the goal, beating out her defender and placing her shot in the bottom left pocket for her first career goal, and the team's third on the night.
With under 10-minutes left to go, a mishit header by a Falcons defender gave way to Tatum Pflamer who got a one-on-one breakaway. Her initial shot was blocked by the goalkeeper, but she made the most of the ricochet by arching one into the net for the 4-0 advantage.
A couple minutes later the Falcons would spoil the chance of a shutout, being awarded a penalty shot. Freshman goalkeeper,
Maria Martinez made her Maverick debut facing the shot which snuck by, giving way to the lone UTPB goal.
Although with a comfortable lead, CMU's
Adessa Correa added her statement on the night with her first career goal. Her initial shot made heavy contact with a Falcon player, opening up a pathway to which she would take full advantage of and net the team's fifth and final goal of the night.
The team will take Saturday off, before returning to action Sunday at 12 p.m. against Western Oregon. The Wolves fell by a 1-0 decision to Western Colorado in the 4 p.m. game on Friday.
