Arizona Soccer advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament

Arizona Soccer advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament with a 2-0 over the University of Denver.

Home sweet home! As a result of their hard work this past regular season, the Arizona Soccer team was rewarded with a first-round game against the University of Denver at home. A combination of relentless offensive pressure and lockdown defense contributed to the 3-0 win over the Pioneers and the Wildcats will now advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

After an early exit to the NCAA tournament last season, the Wildcats looked to make a statement in round one –  and that they did! In the first half of play, they had possession of the ball the majority of the game which led to four corner kicks, four shots, with two on goal. They weren’t able to get any into the back of the net but had plenty of close opportunities.

As was much of the case this season, their opponent couldn’t get anything going on offense. The Pioneers only had two shots in the first half and neither was on goal. They did have three corners, but none that led to any sort of real threats to Wildcat goalkeeper Lainey Burdett.

In the second half, the Wildcats turned up the offense. At the 53 minute mark, Jill Aguilera sent in a perfect cross into the box and Kennedy Kieneker was there to finish it past the goalkeeper. No more than five minutes later, Amanda Porter scored on a “rocket” of a free kick right outside the box to make it 2-0.

Another one! At the 70 minute mark, Kelcey Cavarra scored off a penalty kick to increase the lead to 3-0 and secured the win for the Wildcats. They will go onto play Tennessee, who won their opening round game against Louisville 2-1. Location of that matchup is still to be determined.

Overall, the Wildcats had the edge in shots 17-5 ( 4-2 in shots on goal) and 5-4 in corner kicks. Burdett was only really challenged a couple of times this game but came up huge with both saves she had to make. She now has nine recorded shutouts this season. Her continued success has allowed this team to be successful and win many close games.

At Zona Zealots, we would like to congratulate the Arizona Soccer team on advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. What this team has accomplished this season is remarkable and we hope they can continue their winnings ways against Tennessee. Bear Down!