Fresno State’s women’s soccer team keeps struggling to earn positive results, falling 1-0 at home to Colorado State on Oct. 5.
Head Coach Brian Zwaschka says the match could have gone a different way.
“I think we absolutely gave that game away, so I’m really disappointed that that’s the way it turned out,” Zwaschka said.
With an overall record of 1-6-6 (MW 0-2-3), Fresno State finds itself in 10th place after five matches of conference play.
The Bulldogs came off three consecutive draws against UNLV, Nevada and New Mexico before their loss to the Rams.
Colorado State forward Olivia Fout got the shooting going for the Rams with a shot outside the box that went just wide during the 7th minute.
Bulldog defender Averee Campos responded for Fresno State with a bottom-left strike that was saved by the Rams’ goalkeeper Shayana Ross in the 18th minute of play.
Ram midfielder Mia Casey almost capitalized on a Fresno State error in the backline and struck low, but Bulldog goalkeeper Valentina Vivas stretched herself to make a save and send it out to the corner.
Fresno State nearly lit up the scoreboard after speeding into the left side of the box in the 36th minute, but Ross made a key save for the Rams to keep it 0-0.
Casey once again attempted a shot from outside the box for Colorado State near the end of the first half, which went wide to the right.
The match was even throughout the first half and could have gone either way. Colorado State outshot Fresno State 5-2 during the first 45 minutes, but the Bulldogs edged the Rams 2-1 in shots on goal.
Fresno State started the second half aggressively and pushed Colorado State’s defense.
Ross was a key factor for the Rams, racking up four saves to halt the Bulldog offense in its tracks.
Just when it seemed like Fresno State was inching closer, the Rams capitalized on a corner kick where after a series of rebounds from Vivas and the Bulldog defense inside the box, midfielder Avery Vander Ven pushed the ball into the goal to put Colorado State on the board.
“We work a lot on set pieces. It’s just about preparation, and unfortunately, there was one clear mistake that nobody was expecting and they capitalized on it,” Zwaschka said.
Someone on the team will eventually need to step up to make up for the lack of goals his team has had throughout the season, Zwaschka added.
“You really can’t teach composure. At some point we just need to find a way for everybody to individually take a deep breath in those moments and put it away because we’re getting punished by other teams in those moments,” he added.
Bulldog forward Megan Galvan says capitalizing on chances has been the team’s biggest struggle.
“We work a lot in the box and try to finish. That is the one thing that’s missing,” she said.
Fresno State has conceded 18 goals and only scored 7, putting their goal differential at -11.
The Bulldogs will have their next chance at a second win this season when they host Wyoming at the Bulldog Soccer Stadium on Oct. 8 at noon.
