Braden's productive night gives @UNCBearsSoccer 3-0 win over Mavs

Friday, September 16

Greeley, CO

7:00 p.m.

University of Northern Colorado

5-3-1

University of Nebraska at Omaha

2-5-1

OMAHA

Northern Colorado

Photo by: Dean Popejoy

9/16/2016 10:16:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

By: Thomas Hoffman, uncbears.com

Greeley, Colo. – Northern Colorado would not be denied their second straight victory of the 2016 season, and the fourth consecutive at home Friday night in Greeley, as Brooke Braden's monstrous performance lifted UNC over the University of Nebraska Omaha, 3-0.

How it Happened
The early parts of the first half were dominated by the Mavericks. UNO forced 10 shots, compared to UNC's five. However, only two of them reached junior goalkeeper Madeline Burdick.

As the pace quickened, head coach Tim Barrera sent eight reserves on to the pitch, hoping to save some fresh legs for the final 45, a move that proved brilliant by game's end.
The Bears came our refocused, re-energized and reinvigorated to start the second half.

Nearly seven minutes in, Madeline Burdick, with one of her six saves on the night, initiated a sequence that led to a break out by sophomore Maddie Roberts. Robert's cross found the head of Sydney Schroeder, who instead of taking a shot on frame, unselfishly headed back to a wide open Brooke Braden for the Bears first goal of the night.

Not even three minutes later, Roberts again found herself in a position to deliver one of her patented crossing balls. As fate would have it, Brooke Braden fell on the receiving end of yet another Roberts assist, and smashed in a half-volley for the 2-0 advantage.

The Bears barrage of offense continued. The shot count, which Nebraska Omaha had doubled the Bears in the first, had now swung completely in favor of Northern Colorado.

Ten minutes after Braden's second goal of the night, the Colorado Springs native tried her hand at assisting on a scoring play.

From a corner kick, Braden drove a ball in sharply toward Paige Morris, the Bears senior defender. With a sharp flick, Morris' header west destined for the back of the net for her first goal of the season and Braden's fifth point of the night.

By night's end, the Bears finished with advantages in shots (18-16) as well as corner kicks (7-3) en route to their second straight shutout win and fourth consecutive at Jackson Stadium.

Key Stat
Shots – Trailing 10 to five after the first half, UNC turned it around to finish ahead 18 to 16.

Most Valuable Bear
Brooke Braden had her foot on every goal the Bears scored in the 3-0 win over Omaha. Braden earned goals in the 51^st and the 54^th minute. She also picked up an assist on the Paige Morris goal in the 65^th minute, accumulating five points on the evening.

In Their Words
Brooke Braden, Junior Forward
"In the first half, we didn't play as well as we wanted, giving a few balls away that we shouldn't have. In the second half, I knew we had to come out strong. I was able to stick in there and be in the right place for those two goals"

"Before the game, Simone (Borucinski) told me that when I take corner kicks on the left side that I should drive them in instead of loft them. I picked out Paige because I know she's good at finishing those type of plays."

"I think with conference coming up next week, we have a good shot at keeping our winning streak going and making a run to the Big Sky Championship."

Tim Barrera, Head Coach
"You try get better as the season goes along. I thought we played better as a team Tuesday against Wyoming. The first half was a little slow for us tonight, but I think that second half was probably the best 45 minutes of soccer we've played this year."

"That third goal was huge in a lot of ways. Not only did it give us a little more breathing room, but it gave us a chance to get some other players some time on the field and allow others to get some rest."

"The team is maturing; individual roles are becoming more defined. There are still some competitions for some certain spots, but I think that players are becoming more comfortable with each other. That is part of playing non-conference games and you hope to build some momentum before conference kicks up. In a lot of ways, I think we've accomplished that."

Notables
- Madeline Burdick picked up her eighth career shutout and fourth on the season.
- Brooke Braden scored a career-high five points.
- Sam Melchor saw her first action in her career as a UNC Bear.
- Paige Morris scored her first goal of the season, her eighth in her career.
- Maddie Roberts recorded a career high two assists in one game.

Up Next
Northern Colorado will be back on the road next week when they start Big Sky Conference play, facing Weber State on September 23. They'll return home on October 7 to face the Southern Utah Thunderbirds.