Denver Keeps Third Straight Clean Sheet in 6-0 Win Over Troy
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DENVER - University of Denver sophomore forward Kristen Hamilton (Littleton, Colo.) and junior forward Kalie Vaughn (Fort Collins, Colo.) both had two goals and an assist, leading the Pioneers to a 6-0 rout over Troy at CIBER Field on Sunday afternoon for their third-straight shutout. DU outscored the two Sun Belt schools from Alabama 13-0 this weekend.
Sophomore midfielder Nicholette DiGiacomo (Golden, Colo.) added a goal and an assist, and junior defender Katy Van Lieshout (Boulder, Colo.) tallied two assists in the Pioneers 20th straight Sun Belt Conference win.
"I thought our performance was very good," head coach Jeff Hooker said. "We had a great game on Friday, moved the ball really well and got rewarded with a lot of goals. Today was a lot of the same. I thought we came out flying and buzzing around, which on prior Sundays we haven't necessarily done to our liking."
After stalling for much of the first half on Friday night, the Pioneers (12-2-0, 6-0-0 SBC) came out of the gate on Sunday opening the scoring in the fifth minute. DiGiacomo played a quick corner to the feet of Hamilton, who took a couple of touches inside the box before unleashing a laser from 15 yards out that deflected off a Trojan defender who was standing on the goal line.
DiGiacomo made it 2-0 in the ninth minute after a great run in the middle of the box and an even better pass from Vaughn set the sophomore midfielder up for a one-on-one with the keeper.
DU didn't take its foot off the gas pedal against the Trojans (7-7-1, 2-4-0 SBC), as Hamilton's second goal in the 15th minute gave the Pioneers a 3-0 lead. Freshman defender Sam Harder (Centennial, Colo.) played a ball down the right side of the field to Van Lieshout, who played a finesse pass to Hamilton in the middle of the box. Hamilton remained calm, collected herself and placed her 11th season goal in the corner.
Senior forward Taylor Bailey (Loveland, Colo.) started the fourth goal for DU, as she struck a ball from 10 yards out that beat the keeper but shook the crossbar. The rebound fell to the feet of sophomore defender Katie Feltch (Yorba Linda, Calif.) who slid it into the back of the net for her first career goal.
Vaughn scored both of the Pioneers second half goals in the 54th minute and the 57thminute. The first was off of a give-and-go with Van Lieshout that freed the junior forward for her sixth goal of the season. Vaughn's seventh goal of the 2011 season came less than three minutes later off assists from Hamilton and freshman forward Anna Willis(Centennial, Colo.).
Junior Lara Campbell (Anchorage, Alaska) and Maria Khan (Aurora, Colo.), and sophomore Amelia Davis (Palisade Colo.) combined for the Pioneers sixth shutout of the season. The Pioneers have not allowed a goal in the last 377 minutes of play. "We have a lot of depth in the back as you saw today," Hooker said of the Pioneers streak.
After playing their two coldest matches, temperature wise, this season, the Pioneers will head to the Sunshine State next weekend to take on Florida Atlantic on Friday at 5 p.m. MT, and Florida International on Sunday at 10 a.m. MT.
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