Northern Colorado Captures 2019 #BigSkySoccer Championship
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GREELEY, Colo. (November 10, 2019) – In a matchup between two teams that had captured three of the last four tournament titles, Northern Colorado reigned supreme Sunday afternoon at Jackson Stadium as the fourth-seeded Bears defeated No. 3 seed Eastern Washington 1-0 to claim the 2019 Big Sky Soccer Championship.
Junior Taylor Bray, the Big Sky Tournament MVP, provided the game winner in the opening minutes for Northern Colorado (9-10-4) who came in having dropped the previous two championship matches.
At the 8:59 mark, Bray took control of a loose ball in the box after a throw-in from Maddie Barkow before finding the top right corner of the net for the 1-0 score.
“When we looked at the game going in we thought it was going to be a back-and-forth match and probably a one-goal game and that’s certainly what it became,” said Northern Colorado head coach Tim Barrera. “We’ve had Maddie Barkow throwing those long throws in all year and have had some success with those and today was one of those days.”
The Bears will make just their second NCAA Tournament appearance, winning their first Big Sky Championship in 2015 over top seed Idaho on penalty kicks. Northern Colorado is the first four seed to claim the title since Montana in 2011.
Northern Colorado controlled a majority of the possession in the opening half, outshooting Eastern Washington (11-8-2), 10-2.
“We knew that they were a good and aggressive team," Bray said. "For us, because we know that we’re also a good and aggressive team, we just had to want it more and have more energy than them."
The Eagles picked up the intensity in the second half with six shots as they looked for the equalizer. However, goalkeeper Ashley Franza stopped three shots on goal to collect her second clean sheet of the season.
With the victory, Northern Colorado receives the Big Sky’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament where the Bears will begin play next weekend at a site to be announced.
The NCAA Selection Show airs Monday at 2:30 p.m. MT on NCAA.com.
To stay up-to-date with the Big Sky Conference, follow us on Facebook at /BigSkyConf and @BigSkyConf on Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. Fans can also follow Big Sky soccer on Twitter @BigSky_Soccer.
2019 #BigSkySoccer All-Tournament Team
Taylor Bray (MVP), Northern Colorado
Maddie Barkow, Northern Colorado
Ashley Franza, Northern Colorado
Mackenzie Bray, Northern Colorado
Lexi Pulley, Northern Colorado
Kelsee Winston, Eastern Washington
Madison Kem, Eastern Washington
Maddie Morgan, Eastern Washington
Brittany Delridge, Eastern Washington
Alexa Coyle, Montana
Kayla Terhune, Northern Arizona
Erika Munoz, Sacramento State