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COLORADO RAPIDS WOMEN CLINCH ROCKIES DIVISION FOR SPOT IN MOUNTAIN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP

Published Jun 28, 2022
Written By:  Andrew Mosier
             Central Region Contributor

 

The Colorado Rapids Women clinched the Rockies Division title on the road Sunday, beating second-place Colorado Pride 3-0. The Rapids Women will move on to face the Wasatch Division champion, Utah Avalanche, for the Mountain Conference Championship on July 9.
 

“I am so proud of this team,” Sabastian Giraldo, Colorado Rapids Women’s head coach, said. “The players have worked so hard all season. Every game we’ve improved. Our goal going in, was to play for the conference championship, and we accomplished that. Now we concentrate on winning the conference.”

 

Entering Sunday’s match, the Rapids Women simply had to win the match to clinch the division title. It was more complicated for the Pride, which needed to beat the Rapids and then win its final match of the season and hope for either a Rapids loss or draw to close out the season.
 

Not wanting to take any chances, Giraldo implemented a game-plan that would neutralize the Pride’s dangerous attack which had netted six goals in the last two matches including a 3-1 win over third place Indios Denver FC two nights earlier.
 

“They are a very good team in front of the goal,” Giraldo said. “We didn’t want to give them any opportunity to get forward. We wanted them to have to chase the game.”

 

It took the Rapids just two minutes to put Pride on the back foot when Alyssa Glover ran onto a pinpoint 30-yard pass from center back Hanna Gallegos. Glover pushed the ball with her right foot past Pride goalkeeper Kaylyn Rosenbaum to put the visitors up 1-0.”

 

“Getting that early goal really made things difficult for them,” Girlado said. “That goal enabled us to dictate the tempo of the game after that.”

 

After controlling the match for much of the first half, the Rapids doubled the lead after Glover was bowled over by a defender for a clear penalty kick in the 39’ minute. Alesia Garcia placed the spot-kick into the upper right corner. Rosenbaum got a good read on the kick and was able to get a hand to the ball, but it was not enough to push it off-frame.
 

Garcia scored her second on the night two minutes into the second half, beating a defender off the dribble near the top of the penalty area to create enough space to get a right-footed shot off. Seeing the ball late, Rosenbaum could not get enough behind the ball to keep it from leaking just inside the far post.
 

From there the Rapids division-leading defense turned away the Pride attack, earning its seventh clean sheet of the season.
 

The Rapids Women close out the season Thursday, June 30 versus 1-6-1 Broomfield Burn, and then turn its attention to the Mountain Conference title match versus the 8-0-0 Utah Avalanche in Utah on July 9. Time and location for the match are not yet finalized.

 

“We know they are a very good, physical team,” Giraldo said. “From what we have seen, we think we match up with them pretty well. We’re really looking forward to representing the division, and hopefully repeating as Mountain Conference champions.”