LARAMIE, Wyo. – Level through 45 minutes, Fresno State saw Colorado State take control of Sunday's Mountain West quarterfinal early in the second half behind a pair of goals. The Bulldogs were unable to recover, falling 2-0 to bring their season to a close at the Madrid Sports Complex.
Senior goalkeeper Valentina Vivas did all she could to keep the 'Dogs in the match as she recorded nine saves but the Bulldogs could only muster two shots on goal compared to 11 for the Rams.
HOW IT HAPPENED
A feeling out process in the opening 25 minutes led to Colorado State beginning to put the pressure on Fresno State's defense. Valentina Vivas was forced into action, producing four of her five first-half stops in a 10-minute stretch. While the Rams peppered the Bulldogs to the tune of 10 shots, Vivas and the Bulldogs kept them off the scoreboard.
CSU got the breakthrough early in the second half. In the 49th minute, Sofia Coulombe took a turn in the box and hit a low shot that Vivas knocked away but Liz Stutzman was sitting open on the backside to slot the rebound into the back of the net.
Opportunities to extend the lead continued in the ensuing minutes for the Rams but Vivas was again there to keep them at bay. That advantage for CSU did double though in the 57th as Olivia Fout cut into the box and slipped through a pair of converging Bulldog defenders before ripping a shot into the side netting.
Trailing, Fresno State's offense was contained in the second half, attempting just two shots with neither finding the frame.
SCORING SUMMARY
48:11 – CSU – Liv Stutzman (Sofia Coulombe)
56:19 – CSU – Olivia Fout
NOTES
Fresno State drops to 0-5-3 all-time in the Mountain West tournament.
Fresno State lost its second match of the season when tied at the half.
Fresno State lost its sixth game when being outshot by its opponent.
Valentina Vivas tied her career in saves with nine (March 28, 2021 at UNLV).
Ciara Wilson attempted a team-high three shots.