Soccer takes down Falcons in final exhibition game
Published: Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Updated: Tuesday, August 14, 2012 14:08
The UNC soccer team wasn’t able to win both but at least managed a split in its two exhibition games against Air Force, winning 2-1 Monday at Jackson Stadium.
The Bears lost Saturday’s exhibition by the same score.
Because it was an exhibition, the coaches agreed to three “periods” 30 minutes, instead of two 45-minute halves. The University of Northern Colorado got out to an early lead on an unassisted goal from sophomore forward Juliana Grover in the first.
Senior forward Danielle Birdsall scored her second goal in two exhibition games in the second period to give the Bears a 2-0 advantage. The goal was assisted by senior Alexsys Tamayo and sophomore Madison Yoswa.
The Falcons got on the board in the final period, but couldn’t create any more scoring threats.
“We didn’t finish opportunities (Saturday), but we finished them today,” Birdsall said. “We were made that we lost, so we came out and made sure we got it done today. It was a nice start to the season that we can get this win under our belt.”
Northern Colorado got another good showing from senior goalkeeper Natalie D’Adamio, who had four saves on eight shots by the Falcons.
“I felt good, a little nervous of course,” D’Adamio said of her performances in the two preseason games. “I think I did well, and I did my best. I felt pretty comfortable.”
UNC head coach Tim Barrera was pleased with how his team responded with a day in between games.
“Overall, it was a good team effort,” he said. “We used just about our whole roster, just trying to reduce the minutes. We’re trying to give some opportunities to some of our younger players, and I think that will help us in these first couple of games against some very good opponents.”
UNC’s regular season starts Friday at 7:30 p.m. against the University of Colorado at Jackson Stadium.
“CU’s a good team, they have most of their team back — eight or nine starters from last year back,” Barrera said. “We know them pretty well, they know us well. So, we’re really excited about it. Today, nobody played more than 45 minutes. We’ll cover a little bit tomorrow, then really start preparing Wednesday, Thursday for the Buffs.”
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