Pioneers Shut Out Kansas, 1-0

by Niko Blankenship

September 14, 2012

LAWRENCE, Kan. - The University of Denver women's soccer team got an 18th-minute goal from senior forward Katy Van Lieshout (Boulder, Colo.) and a shutout from Lara Campbell (Anchorage, Alaska) on its way to a 1-0 victory over Kansas on Friday evening at the Jayhawk Soccer Complex. With the win, Campbell (51-12-3) set the school record for goalkeeper wins in a career.

"I thought we played well," head coach Jeff Hooker said. "We really wanted to keep the ball a lot more today. Lara came up with some good saves, showed good calmness and had good communication with the center-backs and the outside-backs."

For the second weekend in a row, Denver (6-1-1) opened its scoring on a set piece restarted by sophomore defender Sam Harder (Centennial, Colo.). Junior midfielderNicholette DiGiacomo (Golden, Colo.) deflected the Harder restart through her own legs to Van Lieshout, who finished the match's only goal from six yards out with a left-footed volley. The Pioneers took that 1-0 lead into the intermission.

Kansas (6-2-1) opened the second half with a lot of early pressure, but as it did the entire match, the Denver backline withstood that pressure and cleared its lines.

The Jayhawks best scoring chance came on a 25-yard free kick in the second half from Whitney Berry, but Campbell read it well and held the save nicely to keep her 25th-career clean sheet intact.

"My team has worked so hard. We've come a long way since my freshman year," Campbell said. "We've been so good out of the back. It [the record] is really not just a thing for me; I think the whole team should be able to celebrate."

"It's great to get it in a game like this," Hooker said of Campbell's record. "It's a little more adverse situation when you're on the road, playing a team that has only lost one game [before tonight] all season long."

Denver will wrap-up the trip on Sunday as the Pioneers play Texas at 6 p.m. MT. The match will air live on the Longhorn Network.

Individual game tickets during the 2012 season are $10 for a reserved seatback and $5 for general admission, and may be purchased by phone at 303-871-2336, online at DenverPioneers.com or in person at the Ritchie Center Box Office. DU students are free with a Pioneer Card. For group ticket discounts of 20 or more, please call/e-mail Adam Sizemore at 303-871-2389.

-EXPERIENCE DENVER ATHLETICS-

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