GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.- The Colorado Mesa University women's soccer team dominated on both sides of the ball to take down the Cowgirls of New Mexico Highlands 7-0. The Mavericks earn their seventh straight victory over the Cowgirls and move to 7-3-1 overall and 5-1 in RMAC play.
The onslaught started less the five minutes into the contest as Ellie Duncan put up the first shot of the game, but it was saved by the goalkeeper. The Cowgirls' goalkeeper stayed busy as she had to deal with shots from Sarah Dunn, Olivia Barrett and Mari Ige.
The Mavs did not let up as Olivia Bariao-Arce had two shots of her own just before the ten-minute mark, but both came up short. Something had to give for the Mavs, and their aggression came to fruition in the 10th minute.
Parker Mairs used her speed to cruise down the right side of the box; she whipped it into the penalty area where she found a wide-open Brooklyn Baird, who finished it with her right foot to give the Mavs a lead they did not let go of.
The Mavs got another golden opportunity just five minutes later as they continued to be on the attack. Duncan had her shot blocked but regained possession on the right side of the box. The Cowgirls' defense was in disarray as Duncan calmly found Bariao-Arce, who scored at point-blank range to put the Mavs up two.
The Mavs continued to attack as Duncan, Savanah Miller, Shelby Lyon, Katelyn Romano, Mairs and Vanessa Pirrello all had great looks to score, but all were dealt with by the Cowgirls' defense.
The 35th minute saw even more offensive prowess as the Mavs went on another counterattack looking to put the game out of reach. Romano gathered possession, made some moves and scored goal number three for the Mavs as her shot was beautifully placed into the top left corner.
The Mavs cooled off an offense as they finished the first half up three. The second half saw more the same from the Mavs.
Less than 90 seconds into the second half, Baird once again found herself in the Cowgirls' defensive third. She worked her way through the defense and buried her second goal of the day to extend their lead even further.
The Mavs got another opportunity to score as they won a free kick just before the 51st minute. Arenibas stepped up to take it and tried a shot from way downtown. She managed to bury it in the top left corner as the Mavs went up by five.
After the goal, the Mavs put up even more shots as Arenibas, Duncan, Baird and Angelina Kazinec all had looks, but they all came up empty.
The 70th minute saw an opportunity for a sixth as they went on the attack once again. The Cowgirls' defense made an initial stop, but the ball found its way to Arenibas once again. She shot it first-time, and it found the back of the net for her second goal of the day.
Both teams emptied out their benches as the clock continued to wind down. Romano got a great look from a one-on-one with the goalkeeper in the 85th minute, but the keeper managed to make the save.
The shot resulted in a corner where Miller was tasked with taking it. She crossed it into the box where it found the head of Dunn, who headed it into the back of the net, putting the Mavs up a touchdown.
The final four minutes saw little action as the game concluded after a dominant Mavs performance.
The Mavs outshot the Cowgirls 39-4, the most shots they have put up all season. Arenibas and Baird both scored a brace while Dunn and Romano scored their first goals of the season. Duncan, Mairs and Miller also tacked on assists as well. Keely Wieczorek only made one save in 72 minutes of work while Maddy Eggert came in to finish off the Mavs' seventh shutout of the season.
The Mavs will celebrate Senior Day as they take on Adams State on Oct. 11. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. inside Community Hospital Unity Field. Senior Day festivities will take place after the game.
